Throughout my life, I've watched the Lord at work, acting on my behalf. I've seen the blessings and the goodness He has poured out on me, and I've also seen Him take away some things I thought I wanted.

Though I don't always understand what He does or everything that He's already done in my life, I do know this: He makes beauty out of ashes.

The Lord can redeem and renew all things, and He can create something beautiful out of a complete mess. In Isaiah 61, He gives to those who mourn "a beautiful headdress instead of ashes," and Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us that "He has made everything beautiful in its time."

Ultimately, He made something beautiful out of the death of His only son Jesus - through Jesus dying, He made a way for us to connect with Him and to receive salvation.

Even if something in your life is a wreck, and even if it seems like it's far from redeemable, when God enters the picture there is hope. Regardless of the situation, He is able to make beauty out of ashes, and He wants to do that for us, His children.

He is a God that delights in His promises and is always looking for a way to reveal Himself to us. Though it may be hard to see the good in some things, He is always at work in our lives and is redeeming what has been lost.

My life is living proof that the Lord can create beauty out of ashes. I've wrecked relationships and opportunities in my life, and He has turned my mess into something wonderful. He has shown me time and time again that His goodness is far greater than any mistake I've made or will make in the future.

The devil wants to steal, kill, and destroy, but Jesus wants a life of abundance for us. There are parts of my life that are still a little messy, and that's okay. He's working in my life, molding those messy parts of me into something beautiful.

He knows the outcome of it all, and, for His children, the outcome will always be beautiful. Let Him make beauty out of the ashes in your life. He is willing and ready.