Beauty from the Ashes 

Monday, February 13, 2017

Verse for the Week: Isaiah 61:3; To grant to those who mourn in Zion— 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.

This past weekend MomsHope celebrated the first ever “Give Hope” event and the evening was magnificent! The Transept was breathtaking and beautiful. The baskets up for auction, amazing. The band, a blast. And then the food!! I mean, Flaming Donut Station? Who created that glorious idea? Heaven on earth, I tell you.

And even though the Flaming Donut Station was by far a highlight for me, I can’t tell you the joy I felt seeing all of you—the moms and mentors, hubby’s, family members, co-workers and everyone in between celebrating together the marvelous work of our great God.

Unequivocally, our God is awesome. Awesome in power to transform lives otherwise headed in a different direction. And because of His great love, we have the ability to choose a new way of life. And that is what we experience in the stories of MomsHope.

Moms—you truly are the heroes. Every hard decision you make alters history. The history of your life and the history of your children’s lives. It is no small conquest, that was evidently clear by some of the stories we were privileged to hear from you.

To the unsung heroes—our mentors who support our moms throughout this process, walk along side them, pray with them, and encourage them, thank you. You are the heart and soul of this program. Your passion and your love touch us and inspire us in so many ways.

Lastly, I would like to make a big shout out to all the behind-the-scene heroes that put a ton of work, sweat equity, and planning into making MomsHope function as a whole, as well as made this really cool event happen. You ladies (and you know who you are) rocked it.

After an evening like that, it’s hard to deny the power of God to transform lives. So, let’s end with a salute to our scripture verse. It is chalk-full of divine gems for the taking. The premise is about liberty. Read it again slowly framing your life and your pain with each caveat of deliverance He proclaims for us, His people.

Isaiah 61:3; To grant to those who mourn in Zion— 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.

It’s clear, mourning the pain of our past is necessary. But there is beauty for our ashes and gladness instead of mourning. In addition, we are now free to wear praise like a garment instead of a broken spirit. And to all that look upon us, they will see a strong oak of righteousness and the glory of God shining through us.

That is what I saw when I gazed at all of you this past weekend—radiant with beauty, gladness, praise and strength. Your words, your faces, your countenance declared His freedom and deliverance. It was a blessing to behold. Thank you!

Finally, to all our moms, at whatever stage of progress you find yourself in, keep putting one foot in front of the other. You are doing a great job and we are so proud of you. Even when you slip up or feel like you’ve failed in one way or another, don’t give up and especially don’t let the enemy steal any of the progress you’ve made. Shake off the dust and get back to it.

Prayer:

Thank you, Lord, for the work you’ve done in my life and the lives of these precious women. You truly are changing a generation one mom at a time and I am blessed to be one of those moms. Continue to work in us and through us for your glory. We love you and want to honor your name. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Reflect and Respond:

I would love to hear about your experience at the Give Hope event. If you would, please share with us a thought, a memory, an experience that stuck with you about the MomsHope event?

Hugs for a great week and remember, you are not alone. Be blessed and radiant with His beauty.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Dori