Beauty From Ashes: You Can Trust the Healer

Growing up, I had a simple, constant dream: a loving husband, a safe home, and lots of kids. My childhood home was anything but that. I saw firsthand the pain of addiction, depression, violence, and poverty. That unsteady start planted deep seeds of insecurity that followed me straight into adulthood. Even though I became a Christian as a teenager, it was hard to truly believe in God's goodness. It was hard to trust my husband, or even my own abilities as a mom. The pain of the past felt heavy, and it shadowed my marriage and my parenting.

The Turning Point:

I realized that if I was going to live the dream I carried in my heart, I had to do two things:

1. Give God my pain (Matthew 11:28-30).

2. Lean heavy into Him and His Word (Proverbs 3:5-6).

That was the only way forward. Over time, something amazing began to happen. I stopped seeing the scars of my past as something ugly to hide. Instead, they became something beautiful—a living testament to how graciously God had redeemed and restored my life. He truly gave me beauty from ashes.

"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..."

Isaiah 61:3

Your Scars Are Not Your Story:

I want to tell you that no matter where your story started, God can redeem it. He wants to fill in every empty place and heal every broken part. All you have to do is let Him.

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."

Psalm 147:3

You absolutely cannot hold on to the pain of your past, or it will rob you of the joy and hope He has planned for your future! God has a great plan for you,

one filled with welfare and hope."

Jeremiah 29:11

Living the Dream:

Today, I am living the dream I once only carried in my heart: 25 years of marriage to my best friend, four beautiful children, two wonderful son- in-laws, and a grandchild on the way. God has been so faithful! If you're a wife or mother who feels inadequate because of an unstable childhood, please hear this encouragement: with God's help, you can be everything He has called you to be!

"I can do all things through him who strengthens me."

Philippians 4:13

Prayer Points:

• Lord, help me to give You my pain and trust that You can redeem every part of my story.

• Lord, remind me that my scars are not my story—they are proof of Your healing and grace.

• Lord, help me release the pain of my past so it will not rob me of the joy and hope You have planned for my future.

• Lord, thank You for being faithful to bring beauty from ashes and for giving me a future filled with hope.

A Prayer For Strength:

Lord God,

Sometimes I feel lost and like I have no idea what I am doing. I need Your help every single day to be the best wife and mother I can be. Give me the strength and wisdom to know how to build up my house and not tear it down with my own hands (Proverbs 14:1). I trust that You are good and that You have a plan for my life and for the lives of my family. Thank You for healing the broken places in me and giving me a life and a future filled with hope. In Jesus' precious name, Amen.

Reflect and Respond:

What is one hurt from your past that you are ready to stop hiding and start trusting God to turn into beauty?

Jessica Taylor

Mid-Way Baptist Church

Flourish Women's Ministry

www.mid-way.com/women