“... 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” (Isaiah 61:3a, NIV).
My elderly parents, husband, teenage sons, and I headed to Lowe’s to buy some replacement blinds. Whereas this sounds like a simple family outing, inside anxiety was slowly overtaking me due to the unique family dynamics. I felt like I was steering a slow-moving ship as I tried to get both kids, my husband, my 82-year-old mother, and my 74-year-old father out of the car and into the store.
I was feeling frustrated and trying to check this errand off my to-do list when the unsuspecting words of a stranger captured my attention. “Beautiful family,” he quickly commented as he passed by our slow-moving clan. I stopped immediately to think about the impact of his words. What this stranger didn’t know is that the beauty he saw in us was the miraculous handiwork of God.
My parents divorced when I was 3 years old as a by-product of my father’s alcoholism. His struggle lasted from my childhood to my adulthood. My mother processed the pain of their divorce while she raised me, thus laying the foundation for a very difficult relationship with her. Yet here we all stood together in the parking lot, full of love and hard-earned forgiveness over past transgressions.
I realized we had become the embodiment of Isaiah 61:3a: “... 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.”
Jesus confirms in Luke 4:21 that He is the messianic servant anointed by God referenced in Isaiah 61. To Him is assigned a long list of unfathomable works like proclaiming good news to the poor, setting captives free, restoring sight to the blind, and bestowing a crown of beauty instead of ashes. This passage in Isaiah was written for Jerusalem, but it’s applicable to those of us who have walked through seasons of sorrow.
Ashes sprinkled on one's head were a sign of mourning. In Isaiah 61, this outward expression of sorrow is exchanged for a beautiful, ornamental turban that covers the head, replacing all evidence of grief.
This scripture is an encouragement to anyone who has been plagued by a deep and seemingly immovable heaviness. Whether the heaviness is the result of family dysfunction, loss, or a struggle of another kind, Jesus offers us this supernatural exchange. He invites us to relinquish our spirit of despair in exchange for a garment of praise.
He did this in my life, and I almost missed an opportunity to rejoice right there in the parking lot. Through the words of a stranger, I was reminded that God made an exchange in my family. He took the devastating brokenness of my parents’ divorce and exchanged it for unexplainable healing in my relationship with them and their relationship with each other. What I once believed to be ashes, He turned into a beautiful display of what only He can do in the lives of imperfect people. And He can do this in your life too.
Heavenly Father, help me to see the beauty You have exchanged in place of ashes in my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Psalm 30:11-12, “You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever” (NIV).
How might God be inviting you to see beauty where you once saw ashes in your life? Where in your life has God exchanged praise for a spirit of despair?
We’d love to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments.
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