Originally written on July 28th, 2014
Seven years ago today was one of the worst days of my life. I remember clearly sitting in the living room at a friend's house literally wondering how to go on. Seven years ago today I was supposed to get married....or so I thought. God had plans beyond what I could ever imagine, and so today I celebrate: not the pain that the experience brought, but God's faithfulness that shone through it.
Very happily married to the man of my dreams and coming up to our first wedding anniversary, I can't help but reflect on two of God's promises.
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. Isaiah 61:3
"Beauty for ashes"...what a promise. I had been left by the man I had given my heart to. I closed off my heart and became cynical and hardened. Ashes. Mourning. Despair. Little did I know that God would take the burned and charred landscape of my life and resurrect something beautiful.
I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the
hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among
you. Joel 2:25
"Restore the years the locusts have eaten". Restore. At first glance it can look like God is promising to give back time that has been lost. However, I had to consider some other implications. God is not bound by time and while we as humans are, I have to ask myself how God promises to give us something back that is clearly linear. When locusts go through a crop, they leave behind devastation.....drought.....death. Seven years ago that's exactly what I felt, and I felt that for the next several years. Through such grace and healing, God did indeed restore those years. While the first meaning of "restore" means "to give back", another definition is "to return [something] to an earlier or original condition by repairing it, cleaning it, etc." Original condition. No more devastation; in it's place is lush oasis. No more drought; in it's place a river of life overflowing with grace. No more death; in it's place life, lived in the abundance that our Savior died for. When God says 'restore' He's going to bring back the original beauty. Not only that, when God takes on a DIY project, His comes out better than the original. Take His word!
God does not make it seem as though it never happened, but he raises up the great oak out of the ashes. He restores the former beauty......perfectly. Those experiences definitely shape us, but God is faithful. Today as I consider my ashes and the years that the locust ate, I rejoice. I don't rejoice over a broken engagement. I rejoice over God's faithfulness. I rejoice over His restoration. I rejoice over abundant life. Yes, today I celebrate the anniversary of the ashes.
When one grows up in one country and then has to move to another country, they often experience culture shock. This is defined by the dictionary as: "a state of bewilderment and distress experienced by an individual who is suddenly exposed to a new, strange, or foreign social and cultural environment." However, I have found that one doesn't have to leave the country to have this experience.
So, what was the big culture shock when I came here to Iowa? College football. I remember once asking Dad "Who watches college football, anyway?" Now I know - Everybody in Iowa. After watching the fans, I finally asked someone about it. She said that it was such a big thing because they don't have a pro team. I asked a couple of other people and they all said the same thing. Hmmm.......we do have pro teams in CO and I never met any fans like the ones out here. Craziness.
I was telling this story briefly at a presentation I was doing at work, when my coworker and co-presenter pipes up and says "Now I know what to get you for Christmas - A foam finger!!!!" Yay, I'm so excited........but for which team..........?????
