beauty from the ashes
Originally published in the Nature Issue of The Truly Co. Magazine
Picture this: Vast mountains, sides bared to reveal layers of red, gray, and yellow rock strata. Trees studding the hillside like gems. A wide-open valley filled with lakes that lap the base of the towering rockface above.
The scene is the epitome of serenity.
But not for long.
In the distance, a column of smoke spirals towards the sky. People are evacuated, suitcases hastily packed, homes abandoned. Before long, the entire landscape is engulfed in thick, black fumes and fierce, orange flames.
Back in 2017, in a small village in Canada, this is exactly what happened. What had once been a national park renowned for its natural beauty was now a charred ruin. The hillsides—formerly so lush and green—were now stark and bare. The dead trunks of trees served only as a distant reminder of all that was lost.
Seven years later, my friends and I camped at this site in Waterton National Park. And seven years later, the effects of that wildfire were still evident. Husks of lifeless trees protruded from the earth like pins in a pincushion. The dirt floor was lightly covered with small greenery, but taller, older plants were basically nonexistent. The forest was decimated.
A few days into our camping trip, we went on a hike. At the trailhead, we saw more evidence of the wildfire’s destruction. Dead trees stretched as far as the eye could see, the dirt trail cutting a thin ribbon through the brush. We hoisted backpacks of food and water onto our shoulders and set out.
As we walked, I paid little heed to the scrub that carpeted the forest floor, mostly just weeds and the odd wildflower. I didn’t think much of the dead trees that formed a somber backdrop against the horizon, either. But when we crested the first hill, I had to pause—tiny trees had sprung up all alongside the pathway! The verdure around us wasn’t just weeds anymore. Sapling evergreens had sprung up everywhere.
Even after all the death and destruction the forest had gone through, new life was pushing its way through the cracked ground. Even after all that had been lost, hope was not lost. Even after those seven years of trees unable to grow, a fresh forest was now spreading. The cones and seeds that had been buried under heaps of ash and soot had persevered and were pushing ever upward.
Beauty from the ashes.
Friend, we live in a world full of destruction, decay, and hopelessness. We experience things, sometimes on a daily basis, that leave us feeling buried under heaps of ashes. Sometimes the effects are lingering, painful.
I know you’ve experienced death in your own life. The blackening effects of sin. The burning fire of familial discord and estrangement. The stark grief at losing a loved one. The cracked earth of a chronic illness or an addiction that won’t loosen its grip. Discouragement, depression, or feelings of meaninglessness.
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
If this is where you’re at today, you’re not alone. Read with me the words Isaiah prophesied about the coming Savior:
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,
for the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to comfort the broken-hearted
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 61:1-3, NLT).
Beauty from the ashes.
Maybe you’ve had a difficult week. Maybe you’re dreading an upcoming event or project. Maybe you’re wrestling with feelings of lifelessness in your relationship with God. Maybe you’re praying desperately for a prodigal to return. Maybe you’ve been waiting for an answered prayer for more years than you can bear to think about. Maybe you feel anxious, overwhelmed, or fearful, wondering how your situation could possibly be redeemed.
Take heart, dear one. You are not abandoned.
The charred dirt in that Waterton forest became a planting ground from which new life could spring. That forest fire was not the end of the story.
By the same token, the death and loss you are experiencing right now is not all there is. Loss, ruin, and failure are not final. God can redeem your situation. He can bring restoration from the ground that bears the scars of your past or enduring pain.
You can hold on to hope, even here, because your God is faithful. He won’t let you go. He specializes in bringing beauty from the ashes; look to the cross if you have any reason to doubt.
Psalm 113 declares:
“The Lord is high above all nations,
and his glory above the heavens!
Who is like the Lord our God,
who is seated on high,
who looks far down
on the heavens and the earth?
He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap…” (Psalm 113:4-7, ESV, emphasis mine).
I don’t know about you, but I often feel poor and needy. What an encouragement that even when we are in a place that feels like a wasteland, God will lift us from the ash heap.
Even when it seems impossible.
Even when it’s taking too long.
Even when it hurts.
Because if there’s only one thing I know about God it’s this: He is faithful. He will finish what He begins. And He will bring beauty from the ashes of our broken hearts and lives.
