Isaiah 61:3 To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

 

Most of you know we have spent the better part of the year 2017 rebuilding the House of Praise that burned January 30th. The Lord truly gave us beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; through this process.

 

As the project approached completion, we were in the final stages of construction. At that point, we were cleaning up all the things that survived the fire and restoring them to their rightful place in the resurrected House of Praise.

 

Although the floor plan for the new House of Praise is quite different from the old, much of the house will be exactly the same. During demolition, we were able to salvage many things from the house. Although the roof and ceiling collapsed to the floor, many things survived to be used again in the new house.

 

One such item is a beautiful beveled mirror that hung on the wall in the entrance. For this piece to survive the fire was a miracle. As we cleaned off the ashes and soot and polished it up, preparing it to hang in its rightful place, we found a very small chip on the side. This chip is a scar from what happened that evening when the whole roof and ceiling came crashing down all around this beautiful mirror. However, it is now restored to its beautiful condition and hanging in virtually the same place it was before.

 

This is a perfect depiction of the forgiven Christian who God brings through a firestorm of life. We all experience times like this in our lives when everything seems to come crashing down around us.

 

Whether it be a health issue, family crisis, financial disaster, or any other life catastrophe, when we are willing to allow the Holy Spirit of God to pick us up, clean off all the dirt and debris left behind from the storm, God will restore us to our rightful place in His Kingdom. 

 

Like the mirror that once again hangs on the wall of the House of Praise, although we have a few scars, we will be able to reflect the Love of Christ to all who look upon us. Those who seek to find the scars will find them, but those who seek the Glory of God will see nothing but the reflection of Christ. 

 

We all have scars because we all have been through some tough times. We have failed, but the Lord has seen us through the fire. We have been hurt by the circumstances of life, but God is faithful to pick us up, brush us off, and plant our feet on solid ground. 

 

When God picks you up, He will........turn the tide .......in your life.

   
Scarred but standing,      Doreen

 

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