Beauty for Ashes

Isaiah 61 ~
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me... To comfort all who mourn, 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.

This scripture came to me this morning as I thought about people who find it hard to let go of their past, especially men. I've met a few men over the years that when I've spoken to them, they had a place in their life and heart where they are just 'stuck'. They take the pains of their life and lock them up inside of them forever almost like it's the Holy Grail. They take the pain in and don't do anything about it but hold on to it as in a worshipping kind of way. They worship their pain. They have their daily rituals of how the pain got there. Every day, they make sure someone here's their worship. Eventually they take comfort in holding onto that part of their life like a trophy. Then they use the trophy as a road block in their life to not move forward in that area of hurt anymore. It's like they punish themselves in their own pain. They constantly stand guard at the door of their own heart to give no way to happiness or joy because they are ARAID to risk the same type of pain. As a matter of fact, they are so convinced that if they open that door, that same type of pain will come again. You can not convince them otherwise. So they stay in their box of pain to not risk more pain. They play into the hands of the devil who aborts their future. The enemy knows that if he can keep you in a box, there aint much life you going to give to your own life or anybody elses. He knows eventually you will let your pain kill you.

You have to let go of the pain. It's like a garbage can filled with all kinds of trash that begins to send out a foul smell. The more it sits there, the more it rots into the walls of your heart and soul. There is nothing you can do about your past but let it be your past. The hurt happen. Talk to God about it. Understand why you want to hold onto it. Ask Him to help you release it. God will give you Beauty for Ashes. Burn up that bitterness, pitiness, sorrow, and let God give you a heavenly aroma. Worship Him and not your pain. Everyone has heard your pain and know what you've been through. It's time to put your ashes in a jar and float them out to the ocean. Talk about your pain but move forward. Don't let it box you and kill you. Open your heart, let love in, and do what you need to do to have a future where you thought you couldn't! Your future depends on it. Just know that you have the choice to get 'unstuck'. No one is doing it to you. You are doing it to yourself. Get out that box. It's a Hell Hole. Get out now!

God Bless,
Q