Graphic by Jordan
Guest post by Hannah Bollinger
Beauty from ashes is a theme woven throughout my life. I wouldn’t know Jesus in the way that I do if it weren’t for the scars that drew me to Him.
The painful memories.
The seasons of disappointment.
The rocky valleys.
They’d all be hopeless without Jesus.
But because of Him, they aren’t.
Painful things can be redeemed.
Light can pierce through darkness.
Beauty can rise from the ashes.
I’ve seen it time and again.
For years my mind was flooded with lies, but now I write about and hand-letter the Truths God has renewed my mind with.
I married a man who navigates life on wheels and was told he may never father children, but God graced us with two miracle sons.
After my second child was born, postpartum depression and anxiety flipped my life upside down. But the Good Shepherd ushered me through that valley until eventually He delivered me from it. And now I have a passion to offer hope to other women traveling a similar road.
Beauty has come from some of my deepest pain. And I know God isn’t done yet.
If this year has been especially hard for you, take comfort in the God who creates beauty from ashes. --- The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. Isaiah 61:1-4 ESV
