{"id":1309,"date":"2016-06-03T19:36:36","date_gmt":"2016-06-04T00:36:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/?p=1309"},"modified":"2019-05-17T13:33:21","modified_gmt":"2019-05-17T18:33:21","slug":"beauty-out-of-ashes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2016\/06\/03\/beauty-out-of-ashes\/","title":{"rendered":"Beauty Out of Ashes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"6:2:16<\/a>Beauty Out of Ashes<\/h2>\n

by Lydia Floren<\/p>\n

There were thousands – literally thousands – covering the hillside, sitting beneath trees, listening, absorbing the truth Jesus was teaching. The truth of who He was. Just being in His presence was powerful – life-changing.<\/p>\n

But the disciples had been there, done that.\u00a0 They were getting hungry. And worried.\u00a0 How in the world was this crowd of humanity going to get something to eat in the middle of the countryside?\u00a0 Why can\u2019t Jesus see the need to stop and let people tend to their families and themselves?<\/i><\/p>\n

And then a little boy tugged at one man\u2019s sleeve.\u00a0 \u201cMy mom packed me a lunch.\u00a0 Can I share it with the Teacher?\u201d<\/p>\n

The burly man turned around, and looked at the small sack of bread and fish.\u00a0 He shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cSon, this is nowhere near enough to feed this huge crowd.\u00a0 Just keep your lunch.\u00a0 We\u2019ll figure something out.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

But then a deep familiar voice resonated from behind the pair:<\/p>\n

\u201cYoung man, this is a generous offer.\u201d Jesus kneeled down, and looked the boy in the eye.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d He continued, “I would be most grateful for this food, as will these hungry folks.\u201d<\/p>\n

He took the small bag, opened it, blessed the food, and then proceeded to feed the huge group until they were too full to eat any more.<\/p>\n

Never think your talent is too small, your gift too weak, your life too broken to be given to God.\u00a0 When we offer what we have, we are immediately blessed, just because we offer it. And our act of trust blesses our Heavenly Father, because what He wants is not the gift itself, but our heart that chooses to give.\u00a0 And He wants it all, no matter how meager it seems to us. It thrills His heart when we not only give him our best, but we give Him everything, including our weaknesses, shortcomings, bad habits, worries.<\/p>\n

God makes beauty out of ashes.\u00a0 It is His specialty.<\/p>\n

What do you need to give to God today?\u00a0 This year?\u00a0 Whatever it is, He will transform it, multiply it, use it to bless you and those around you.<\/p>\n

And know this:\u00a0 our greatest joy – and God\u2019s – comes simply from our act of giving.<\/p>\n

“…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 61:3<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Beauty Out of Ashes by Lydia Floren There were thousands – literally thousands – covering the hillside, sitting beneath trees, listening, absorbing the truth Jesus was teaching. The truth of who He was. Just being in His presence was powerful – life-changing. But the disciples had been there, done that.\u00a0 They were getting hungry. And […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[466],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-finding-gods-love"],"yoast_head":"\nBeauty Out of Ashes - Belovedlove<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2016\/06\/03\/beauty-out-of-ashes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Beauty Out of Ashes - Belovedlove\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Beauty Out of Ashes by Lydia Floren There were thousands – literally thousands – covering the hillside, sitting beneath trees, listening, absorbing the truth Jesus was teaching. 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