True You: Finding Beauty In AuthenticitySample

Beauty from Ashes

Since I was a young girl, I’ve always had a profound understanding that at the helm of life was something much bigger than myself. When times have been tough, I’ve certainly hoped and prayed that something grander than myself is directing this life I lead. If I had to rest in the knowledge that I’m it—that the buck stops with me, and I had nowhere to rest and recline—I think I would crumble. 

To let go and let God are acts of surrender, trust, and love. It is not an act of giving up. It’s the opposite. We let go of our cares and burdens to a loving God. We do not deny that we have them. We acknowledge them; we experience them, but we do not need to live there. With open hands and open hearts, we let go. We let go with intention and consent to God’s action and presence within us. 

This is difficult when we’ve been hurt. We question where God was when during our suffering. Without God, we would simply be stuck with our pain and brokenness, but because of God we can heal more strongly and beautifully than ever before. This is God’s goodness to us that inspires us to trust. God is with us through it all. We are never alone.

Some of the most beautiful things are made from what we often consider waste. I love to cook, and I know that the richest broths are made from the pieces that are usually thrown to the floor. The nutritional density is found in what isn’t the most pleasant to look at. Marrow and sinew bring the robustness to the broth. What if it is our mess, pain, and ugly that God uses to create the most incredible beauty in our lives. Could our pain be the broth that nourishes our souls?