Exchange

Life has grown up from the ruins of my past.  The barren places, once torn and broken, have been repaired and I find that I am restored. 

The ashes of what I lost, once covered me in shame.  The remnant of my pain clung to every surface, penetrated every crevice. A future, once bright with hope, was dull and without light. 

Love called to me in my devastation and invited me to be comforted.  I heard it in the acceptance of dear friends, who tenderly peeled back the layers to find me.  I felt it in the peaceful rest I experienced in worship.  The truths I heard of this God were so different than what I had learned all those years ago.  I had known God to be a tyrant, angry and accusing.  I feared the shame of him, for I had fallen short.  I had left my home, run from my past and from this burden of a standard too high to ever meet.

But now this was confronted with love that was tender and true.  My hardness was met with compassion and patient understanding.  There were whispers of hope for healing, a possibility I had never considered.  My cynicism melted and gave way to a hope I had not experienced.  I stopped running.  I rested, received, surrendered.

And there in this God of love, I found comfort and love that touched the depths of me.  What lay in ruins: my innocence, my future, my view of myself, others and world, was exposed once again to the light of hope. 

Beauty began to grow from the ashes of my soul.  Life returned, and with it hope and gladness.  My future, once burdened and weighed down with shame and sorrow was untethered.  I was set free into innocence restored; a future as bright as the promises of a loving God.

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This is my description of how I have experienced Isaiah 61.  The promises there are so grand and complete.  God promises a comfort that brings about this great exchange.  Beauty is exchanged for ashes, joy in the place of mourning and a mantle of praise for the spirit of heaviness.  God promises to rebuild the ancient ruins and raise up the devastations.  He promises those who have suffered a double portion in the place of their shame, and that they would have joy in exchange for humiliation.  He speaks of everlasting joy, of growth and prosperity, a future bright with promise. 

If your view of God is anything like what mine was as a young person, these promises seem unreal, too good to be true and completely foreign.  But if you’ve heard the testimonies of someone who has encountered the love and power of Jesus, you may just wonder if in fact these promises are true.  I have found they are too good to not believe.  It was worth the risk!  I have lived, again and again the reality of this passage of ancient scripture.  I have experienced the comfort, restoration and transformation of love. 

I believe that there is no life so broken that it cannot be healed by love.  I believe that there is hope for every loss, every trauma, the deepest sorrow and pain.  I believe that light is more powerful than darkness and that there is hope for every person to experience a future bright with promise.