Trading Ashes for Beauty

     

Last night was the Maundy Thursday service at Riverbluff Church, the church I attend. I sing with the praise team and was thoroughly excited about using my voice to help people get closer to Jesus. As I sang the last song, "At the Foot of the Cross", I sang it from my heart. It's kind of my life story, and at the end- I cried (of course). When I think of where I have been versus where I am now, I am overwhelmed by the love of God to pursue such an undesirable mess and make it beautiful. Here are some of the lyrics,

"And you've won my heart,

yes you've won my heart,

now I can,

trade these ashes in for beauty,

and wear forgiveness like a crown,

coming to kiss the feet of mercy,

I lay every burden down,

at the foot of the cross."

My life has certainly been filled with times where I felt dirty and marred. I was a teenage parent- a statistic. I went looking for love in all the wrong places. My heart ached to feel love. I've abused drugs to fill a void that I had no idea how to fill, but I knew existed. I've felt not pretty enough- felt too this or too that. Feelings of low self-esteem and weakness have at times overtaken me. 

     However, there was a day, when I discovered something. This God thing was about more than just a man in the sky. The debate of evolution vs. creator didn't matter anymore to me when I realized the life changing power of the cross and the word of God. When I decided to give my heart to Jesus- decided to follow him, trusting him to be real, trusting his word to be truth, my life did a complete U-turn. The bible tells of the love of God for the people he created. That he loved us so much, he was willing to take our filth, our sin, the stuff that messes us up, and take it on himself. He bore all of the death, pain, and punishment deserved for my sinful behavior when he died on that cross. I no longer have to be in pain and separated from God because of the bad stuff I do. He has forgiven me of the wrong I've done, am currently doing, and will do in the future. He didn't do it for fun or for a show. He did it to win me back. He fought- for me. 

     When I accepted his word to be the truth, I learned that I was created in the image of God. A God more beautiful than anything we've ever seen. All of the beauty we experience on the earth is created to show us the beauty of God. He says I am created to look like him, therefore I am beautiful. He has loved me before time began, he pursues me, he desires to be the lover of my soul, to fill my void. He speaks softly to my heart and I am loved unconditionally by him. He has given me a fresh start and a hope in him. I've traded the ashes of my past life- the pain, unworthiness, the hole in my heart aching to be filled, for the beauty of Christ the son of God. God in human form, perfect and holy. He says since I have accepted him into my heart, that I am now like him. That makes me totally awesome. I can be a lover and a fighter for the good of all people, and I can try as best as I can to lead people to the only cure I've found for the yearning of our hearts. 
     Let yourself be loved by God. It will change your life. If you're not sure about him, why not check him out? I'd love to talk one on one. I'm no bible genius and I don't claim to have all of the answers. I do know, that when you give your life to God, you will find beauty, forgiveness, mercy, love, and a place to lay your burdens down in exchange for the hope and peace he gives you.