Some days are great! You wake up and can't wait to take on the world. You feel invincible and confident that you will have a great day. Those days are precious and a breath of fresh air. Other days are not so great. That's the reality of life. No matter how positive you are and want to be, you sometimes feel completely drained of life and just want to disappear. You feel all alone, even though you may not be "physically" alone. You may feel defeated and worn out without any strength to make it through the day. While these days are not a "breath of fresh air" but are probably more like a dumpster site or rotten egg with their unbearable smells, they are still precious too because they are part of our story. You see, whether there's a rainbow, sunshine, clouds or storms, God is still the same and present with you in every season.
Today is about encouraging you in those gloomy and stormy days, when life feels like... fill in the blank with how you feel... When I go through the stormy days, a song comes to mind and I sing to encourage myself, my favorite verse in that song says, "He gives beauty for ashes. Strength for fear. Gladness for mourning. Peace for despair." Which is based off the verse in Isaiah 61:3, "To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified." You see, even God knew (and knows) that you would go through the stormy days and already sent forth encouragement for you to always have hope and never give up during those days.
Whatever your lot is today, if today's outlook is gloomy, be encouraged that this too shall pass. Even Isaiah 61:7 goes on to say, "For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them." As Elisabeth Elliot said, the story doesn't end with ashes... it's only part of the journey. We go through the different seasons as part of life. This helps us learn to appreciate the great and not so great days as part of life's journey, and then be able to empathize with those around us when they go through their storms. Today may be a great day for you and it's your turn to be a rainbow in someone's life--to give beauty for ashes with an encouraging word, gift or hug. Don't hesitate...you may change a life today!
