Beauty for Ashes

Sunday, June 1st, 2008 | Christianity, Personal Reflection

I love this verse: ”to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified” (Isaiah 61:3).

That’s such a picture of grace. I don’t deserve to have the beautiful headdress, the oil of gladness, or the garment of praise. But He gives it to me for His Son’s sake. Why? So that He can be glorified.

I can think about the ashes, the mourning, and the faint spirit of my past. And even though traces linger, God has changed me so much and is continuing to change me. Instead of having a faint spirit, I am planted by the Lord in righteousness! He has forgiven me. “This I know, that God is for me” (Psalm 56:9).

6 Comments to Beauty for Ashes

seven
June 1, 2008

Thanks, Anna.
I really needed to see that verse right now.

Kaysie
June 1, 2008

Anna, that is so beautiful. Thanks for sharing your reflections.

Susanna Rose
June 1, 2008

I love that verse from Isaiah too! Isaiah is my favorite book of the bible…so full of beautiful reminders of God’s greatness, might and love! Thanks for sharing this!:)

Hannah Michelle
June 2, 2008

Mmm…those are good thoughts about that verse. Wow…how amazing is God’s grace!

Thanks for the blog comment on my 5k post. I am such a beginner that I don’t have many tips to offer…except get good shoes (the staff at a running store can help with that), and don’t do too much too fast…it takes quite awhile for your body to adjust to the impact of running. Stretching is also very important - I’m big on injury prevention now after straining my hamstring - ouch! I started with a walk/run plan, which will eventually move me up to running continuously (right now I switch off with 2 min of each) , and that has worked great for me. A very helpful book to read is “Running For Mortals” by John Bingham & Jenny Hadfield.

And don’t forget to have fun! Even the elite runners had to start somewhere. :)

Anna
June 2, 2008

Thanks for the tips, Hannah! :-)

holly
June 4, 2008

This was very comforting and beautiful, Anna. Thank you.

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Anna, 21. Saved by grace, called to follow Christ. Book-lover, writer, caregiver, wannabe runner.
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