How’s Life treating you? Did you have any struggles this week, or was everything perfect and wonderful?
I tend to feel a certain amount of sadness when things don’t “look like” I thought they would. There’s some level of grieving as we encounter various trials of life. But Jesus tells us in his family, there is good news for “the afflicted”. And isn’t that how you feel when life goes awry? Afflicted: “I️’m just sick about this!”
There’s a beautiful Bible verse in Isaiah 61:3, “To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes…
I know we don’t all live in Israel, but the Bible tells us that all who trust in Jesus receive the same benefits as God’s chosen people, Israel. So, the promises to Israel are promises to us who have placed faith in Jesus.
Unless you are accustomed to wearing a crown, the verse in Isaiah might not feel relevant at first sight. But consider this: a crown represents a position of honor. Being God’s chosen people is definitely an honor. And the ashes? Not so much today, but in Bible times, people expressed sadness by covering their heads with ashes. Ashes on the head were a token of self-abhorrence and humiliation.
Affliction tends to put us into the darkness of humiliation and sometimes even self-hatred...”it sucks to be me”. Although we might not cover our heads in ashes, we tend to use words of humiliation spoken with attitudes of self-hatred.
What if those words were to be replaced with beauty? Jesus’ Good News is that, with his presence, he will bring his Own out of that darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).
Your Heavenly Father & your Older Brother, Jesus, are fully aware of your suffering. And they are right there with you, in your suffering, shining their marvelous light into your darkness. Look for their light. Accept their light. Live in their light, even though darkness may be all around—step into this marvelous light! And here’s a partner to that 1 Peter 2:9 promise:
“For you will have the Lord for an everlasting light, & the days of your mourning will be finished.” (Isaiah. 60:20) Light brings an end to darkness. Light is always more powerful than darkness…and the most marvelous thing about God’s light is that it never ends!
So chances are that you can bring someone else along with you! It may be that you can lead someone else to the light while you are receiving it yourself!