Beauty from Ashes

Passage Isaiah 61:3:

To all who mourn in Israel,
he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
festive praise instead of despair.
In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks
that the Lord has planted for his own glory.

I've always liked this verse but haven't really grasped it's meaning until now.

Had a good chat with my mother in law this morning. Won't go into details but it's just so interesting how God works. He's taken heartache and pain and made good from them. It's not that the ashes never existed, they aren't forgotten, but he has made something good rise from them. My daughter is an example of this beauty.

I miss my dad. I always will. But God can use this experience for good. It won't be that my pain never existed and I will never forget my dad or the sorrow that his dying caused. But I can try and help others who have gone through loss. Just like my mother in law has helped me.

After my dad died, my mom and I talked about how we now know how to help others deal with a death. Until you go through it you just don't know. The people that came and brought food and took care of all the little details were so awesome. They also cried with us - which was also helpful for some reason. I know our whole family was grateful for these people.

Now I know how to help others when a tragedy strikes. I also know that sometimes words don't mean anything and that sometimes it's better not to say anything at all then to say something trite. Sometime, just crying with the person who is sad is enough.

God knows what he's doing even when we don't. He can turn my mourning into joy and make something beautiful from the ashes.