Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Beauty from Ashes

By: Shari A. Miller




Over the past few days our city has been smoke ridden due to the forest fires in the area. The air has been thick, the sky gray, and the feeling of being caught in a compressed room of gloom has been alive and well.

On the first night of the smoke enveloping our city, my husband and I decided to go watch the sunset. When we found our perfect place, we were amazed at the beauty that unfolded. The sky exploded with beautiful reds, oranges and yellows, it was a portrait that encompassed the whole sky.



As I was standing there, I felt a sense of sadness because I knew that something this beautiful was created through an enormous amount of trial and strife. I considered the families who had possibly lost their homes, the firemen risking their lives to squelch the burning flames, the loss of crops for the farmers and the possible loss of life to animals and man.

It got me to thinking that the scenario that was unfolding before me was a perfect mirror of life. So many times we go through trials that hurt, and burn our spirits to the core. We feel like there is no way out, no way to stop the pain of the flames that come closer and closer.

However, here's the deal...

There is a way out. It comes when we get down on our hands and knees and cry out to the Father to make the path of hope clear. It comes when we make it a priority to seek out who the Father truly is when we study and seek His Word for answers to the way we should go. We need to remember that His ways may not necessarily be our ways, but when we surrender to His will and accept what is, instead of what we want, we'll discover clarity and see the answers start to unfold.

We'll notice that eventually in God's timing, the flames will die down and the smoke will start to clear and we'll see something amazing occur......

Beauty from ashes will rise as we come out from the other side, changed and stronger ready to face life anew. The process of change and growth may not always come about by the way we had planned; but in the end I believe we'll realize that the road we had to travel on was the right path all along.


"To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair, In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory." Isaiah 61:3 (NLT)





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3 comments:

  1. I'm sorry your area is experiencing the terrible fires. What a beautiful perspective you've shared though of beauty through the hardship. Thank you!
    Patti

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful analogy. Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete

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