Does the onset of 2023 find you sitting in ashy ruins? Ready to find the beauty in your life again? Discover 3 steps to finding beauty in the ashes.
The contrast was stark. Stretching upward from the ashes were charred, yet graceful Manzanita trunks. All the life choked out in one cataclysmic moment in time.
Storming through the hills above our home, the fire swept clean the landscape on September 4, 2019. Only hours before those hills stood proudly carpeted with thick reddish green Manzanita and now they lay smoldering in ashy ruins. The remains of their naked, blackened trunks created a chilling moonscape aura.
Walking amongst the ashes in the days following the fire, we wondered how could anything good come from this? The land was scorched and devastated, it would take years to see growth we lamented. Yet somewhere around thirty days in, as we began to adjust to our new surroundings, something miraculous began to take shape. GROWTH!
At the base of a few scattered manzanita, the beginning sprouts of reddish green seedlings were pushing through the ashy soil. From the devastation and destruction of the fire, beauty was beginning to rise up.
Jump forward three years to December of 2022. We took off on our weekly sunrise Sunday hike to the top of the aptly named Superman Trail, overlooking our valley. We had early rains this year and the rewards of spring were prematurely peeking through. Where a few years prior, these hills were a barren wasteland, they now displayed a rich kaleidoscope of green. Healthy bushes of new manzanita leaves stood guard around the charred trunks of yesteryear. They tell the timeless tale of how beauty most assuredly can arise from the ashes of life.
We all have times in life, where we experience deep disappointments. It may be walking through the wasteland of ruined relationships, failed businesses or the despair felt from missed opportunities caused by poor choices. In the ashy aftermath that follows these life altering events, we may wonder how could anything good come from this? Will I ever see beauty again?
We may find ourselves asking why me? Here are three things we can hold onto to get us moving forward.
It is precisely when we find ourselves sitting amongst the ruins, that God is busy stirring up new life directly underneath us. Seeds of growth that have been fertilized through the pain of our own destruction and failures, will indeed push up through the soil of our life once again. The question is, will you trust him for it?
Take some time to remind yourself of past tough times and the good that came from those. Where has God met you before and turned something ugly into a thing of beauty?
Thirty-three years ago I was devastated over the break up with my college boyfriend of four years. At 22, I thought I would never find another. Three weeks later, I met the love of my life and we just celebrated 31 beautiful years together. God was in that break up and he knew something far better was on the horizon.
When going through tough times, we often only see the hurt and grief. It is important to remember that what looks like a barren, ash filled landscape is actually teeming with activity just beneath the surface. Seeds are already planted and ready to push through and sprout brand new life.
Lean into God’s promise of joy coming in the morning. Know that our hands when held open and yielded to a mighty God are big enough to hold in equal measure both joy and grief. Rest into that. Breathe in courage and breathe out fear, knowing that better days are coming.
It is well documented that the destructive forces of fire allow essential nutrients to return to the earth. The ash fertilizes the soil for the next season of growth, allowing whatever grows to be stronger than before.
My favorite quote of late is “Never be a prisoner of your past. It was a lesson, not a life sentence.” (Thoughts Wonder) If you have made poor choices or otherwise find yourself in a tough spot, take a step forward in freedom, my friend. You are not a prisoner, you do have choices in front of you. Learn the lessons, let the ashes fall to the ground and allow yourself to grow stronger from it. Then when you have found stable footing look behind you and help someone up and out of the same hard spot.
A sweet, beautiful victory is eagerly waiting to display God’s glory and restore your soul once more. Joy can be found amidst the hard, and beauty can indeed rise up from the ashes of our hardest times. Trust in His track record. Be patient and take courage that the green shoots of new growth will come bursting up around you in His perfect timing.
