beauty from ashes

awhile back i talked about perspective, remember the wide angle lens? if you don't remember, it was about seeing past what is in front of our eyes and trusting that God has it under control, for our greater good. as i shared then, our family has been in one of the hardest seasons yet for the past three years. i can't share too many details, as it's not wholly my story to tell. but it's been long, frustrating and at times brutal. but underneath all of that~ beauty. contradictory, huh? i know. see, the more life throws me that brings me to my knees, the more i have be in complete dependence on my God. i can't do it alone. i simply can't. the more i depend on Him, the more peace in the midst. i would love to tell you this peace is constant. it's not. because where i have to continue growing is my constant dependence on Him. but what i keep coming back to is that in the last few years, as many of the things i held tightest to have slipped away, He has never forsaken me. when those i needed the most couldn't be there, He held me. when i was afraid that my head would never stay above water, He carried me. when i can't see what good can possibly come, His Word promises it.

and in the midst of struggle, beauty emerges.
peace beyond understanding
joy replaces sorrow
thankfulness overcomes desperation
love overcomes bitterness
the past is washed away
the future is hope

and when we don't know the answers or the reasons or when the road will get a little less bumpy, we stand on the promise...

"To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified." Isaiah 61:3

and that is all we need to know.