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Beauty for Ashes: Release the Urn

 “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,  because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion, to bestow on them a crown of beauty  instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.”-Isaiah 61:1-3 NIV

 

A vessel of God told me to write the real story. The one that was uncut, raw, and honest. I was to write the TRUTH, refusing to protect everyone else’s heart but my own. Today, as I write, I realize that I’ve been holding on to an urn of dead things, glancing back at what I keep praying to let go of and placing it in a closet, hoping that no one will see it.

As a creative, I know when to sit down and hush. The beauty of words is a blessing, but it must be stewarded carefully. You can’t sling your mess on others, calling it a WORD, when the truth is that your heart has been dipped in pettiness like a chocolate dipped strawberry. 

I’ve sat, and I’ve asked God to grace the stains of my testimony with beauty. There is a way that you can tell the truth, and it can be beautiful no matter how ugly it was to travel through the passageway of what God will use you to reveal for His glory. 

God will give you beauty for ashes, but you must be willing to release the urn of grief brought on by life’s circumstances, misunderstandings, and painful experiences.

Your excuse can no longer be that no one understands. God understands, He was there every step of the way protecting your heart and holding you up when you thought that you had fallen beyond getting back up again.

There was another beautiful vessel who told me to trust God again. I’ll say that to you, Trust God again. Each lesson will propel you into places that only God can take you, but you must release the urn, the dead things that you keep attached to your hip, taking it everywhere that you go.

Of all people, I thought of Cinderella today. We know her story,and we know her victory. You have that same victory as a royal priesthood.

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

 -1 Peter 2:9

 

What and who are you listening to? The Holy Spirit will bring all things to your remembrance, reminding you of WHO GOD IS, and who your enemy is.

 “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

 - John 10:10 NKJV

 

Let’s put this into perspective: An urn is a beautifully decorated vessel that holds dead things. You are not a dead thing, and you were never called to hold dead things. Release the urn to God. He will give you beauty for ashes and the oil of joy instead of mourning. 

The blessings of the Lord make me rich and add no sorrow. I thank you for placing my heart on the balances and sifting out what is not needful. I thank you for lovingly showing me myself today and for the reminder that you give vases of beautiful flowers in exchange for ashes. Lord, I welcome you into places that I never have before. I welcome you to decipher every tear and to grace every experience. I pray that you grace my words and my gifts to give you glory. I pray to be a good steward over those things that you will use me to say and to do. I breathe out perfectionism and breathe in the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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