Recently i heard these words resonating in my mind, "Beauty for ashes..." These words come from the Jewish Prophet Isaiah as the people of Israel were facing a painful season of loss and destruction. The phrase 'beauty for ashes' cannot be easily translated into English. The Hebrew word for beauty used here refers to a headdress, a turban or a tiara. What the Prophet is saying is that God is about to wipe out the ashes on your head and replace it with a beautiful headdress. As First Responders we are used to the experience of seeing ashes. The ashes of destruction from a structure fire or a serious accident that leaves death and destruction in its wake. The ashes of heart ache, grief and loss are many time far more painful than the ashes of physical loss. Many have walked through difficult situations over the past few years that have left us with 'ashes' , broken relationships, dreams, loss of a loved one, circumstances beyond our control, people who have hurt us taken advantage of us, that bad call that haunts you in the middle of the night, or maybe its the accumulation of pain that has left you with the ashes of PTSD. When we live from the perspective of the ashes we begin to anticipate negative instead of joyfully anticipating good. It takes courage to rise above the ash heap to see the beauty that can be part of our beautiful future. I heard someone share recently; "The brave man may not live forever, but the cautious will not live at all." The first Key to Beauty for Ashes is to see who we really are. We were born to conqueror things, we have an eco system for rising above hard times. When we think and live from the perspective of our ashes, our pain will dictate to us that we will never find healing. Our thinking becomes stuck in a former season. The Apostle Paul reminds us that we are "more than conquerors thru Him who loved us" . You were born to win, to be a victor, and not a victim. We must never allow one season of our lives to define who we are. Secondly, the two in two out principle. We are all familiar with this when it comes to to interior firefighting tactics, but how many of us really have that friend to confide in, that person who will embrace us, ashes and all? I had breakfast recently with a few pastor friends, and on the way out of the restaurant my friend Scott put his arm around my shoulder and asked, "How is your wife doing...... have you been able to get away together....?' You see, back in April of this year she had experienced a very serious health issue and my friend had this still on his mind even five months later.... his concern was for our well being. I cant tell you how much that embrace meant to me. The third key that i have discovered is the value of my faith. I recently heard the Lord say in my heart, "Give me your ashes..." I have found that God is not just good on the mountain tops, but he is very invested in my life and my future. I find in His presence is fullness of joy and that i can bring my ashes to Him and exchange them for the beauty of his grace and goodness. As First Responders it is critical that our lives become examples to others of sacrifice, honor, and humility. Sometimes what we consider to be ashes are really the catalyst for a new season of prosperity and blessing for us and for others around us. An interviewer once asked Elon Musk, "i heard that you slept for three and a half years on the floor of your production plant, id like to know if that's true and why you would do that....?" Elon answered that he was down to just a few million dollars, and Tesla was about to go bankrupt, the situation was so desperate that i needed to show my team that there is no way that they are more committed than I was. They needed to know I was in the fight with them. If you want people to believe you better hemorrhage belief!!!! your ashes can inspire a movement of hope and a new season of prosperity and blessing in your life!!! what you consider ashes can actually be your treasure!!! Just to wrap up my thoughts today, I am reminded of a quote i heard from Captain Doug Mitchell of the NYFD. Doug was a keynote speaker at the 2022 FDIC in Indianapolis. In his presentation he shared three simple words... "It's Your Time..." He went on to challenge us to remain teachable... many times the answers to the complex questions of life are found in the smallest details that many overlook. its your time to heal!!! It's your time to challenge yourself to something new.... Its time to forgive, yourself and others!!!! It's time for Beauty for ashes!!!! My prayer for you today is that this new season will bring healing to your heart.......renewed hope.... and freedom from the pain of a former season. Please know that you can contact me anytime just to chat or to have a fresh cup of java together. my email is firechap@hopeag,com
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AuthorJim has served as the Pastor at Hope Christian Church since 2005 . He is the Chaplain for the North Haven Ct Fire Department for the past 10 years. He is an Ordained minister as well as being an endorsed Chaplain with the Assemblies of God Archives
September 2022
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