Beautiful

 "Beautiful" is a word that may mean different things to different people, but for all of us, I think it's what we would like our lives to be described as. Sadly, too often our lives are anything but beautiful, whatever our definition may be. There are times, often very long times, when life seems to be made up of nothing but grey sadness. "Ugly" may best describe what is happening. Maybe that's what's happening to you right now.

We were created by Him to love, desire, and appreciate beauty. He also enables us to see beauty in every place we may find ourselves. Yet, this can seem impossible in those places and times when nothing seems beautiful. When all around us can only be described as ugly and hideous......and it only seems to be getting worse. In these times we long for beauty. In these times we wonder if we will ever see or know beauty again.

In Ecclesiastes, a wonderful promise is given. He will make all things beautiful in His time." For those in the midst of deep pain and darkness, that can be a mind-boggling statement. We well know the extent of our hurt, loss, disappointment, and failure. Yet He is bold enough to say to us, "I will do just that! I will make, at just the right time, your life and all that it is, beautiful!" 

We live in a fallen world, and it doesn't lack the means to bring suffering, loss, and ugliness to us. They are in this world and they are real. Yet there is One, Jesus, who says, "In the world you will have trouble, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world." The One who has overcome all the darkness and loss the world can assail us with, tells us that if we will come to Him, trust Him, cling to Him, He will enable us to overcome it as well. As promised in Romans, we become "more than conquerors through Christ Jesus." He will turn the wilderness into a place of joy and give beauty for ashes. He will make all things  beautiful ,,,,,

in His time. 

I close with this story of one who I pastored years ago. He's lost so much in his life. His marriage, home, and his hope. He sank into a dark depression, one that went on and on. In the darkness, He turned to Christ and began to follow Him. In the pain, He followed Him. He pressed on, a step at a time. I'll never forget the Sunday morning when he rose to testify that he'd been driving to his childhood home in the Blue Ridge mountains when he came upon the most beautiful sunset he'd ever seen. He said that previous to that, he'd never noticed any real beauty anywhere, but in Christ, he saw a beauty he was unable to see before. From that moment, everything changed. It changed from the inside out. That's always where His beauty begins. In our hearts, with Him.

Beloved, would you dare to bring your life to He who is Beauty itself? To the Beautiful One? Let Him take hold of you and all the ugly ashes of life. He will give you beauty. He will give you Himself.

Blessings,
Pastor O