This past weekend it felt a bit like our family had finally come full circle. We had the privilege of celebrating the wedding of my mother-in-law to a wonderful man. And although he will never replace my father-in-law, he is still a very good man who loves my mother-in-law very much and has already blessed our family. And I sat at the wedding with a baby, something Bry and I had been longing and praying for for the last two years almost.

Yet, in the midst of the joy and celebration I was reminded how both those blessings came through pain. In fact, during the whole ceremony I kept struggling to get pictures of my father-in-law’s funeral out of my head. It was very surreal, two very emotional circumstances were crashing in my head and in my heart.

And maybe bc of that, I was struck by the fact that I had a choice. I could again ask God why? Why do You allow pain and suffering? Why do You allow Your people to be hurt so deeply? Why did You create ashes in the first place. Or, I could choose to rejoice and be thankful that I serve a God who is able to create beauty from those ashes and restore life where there once was death.

I am overwhelmed at the goodness of God. I still don’t understand why He chooses to allow a world full of sin and pain. But I am so thankful that He doesn’t wipe it out or ignore it. But instead, He sent His Son to redeem it! To bring His kingdom to earth and make things new, to create beauty from ashes. To bring life.

And I get to be a part of that.

Chances are almost every person reading this could give testimony to God’s goodness and faithfulness. You have been hurt. Many of you know what it is to bleed and mourn in ways I can’t fathom. Yet, you also know what it is see the Kingdom of God firsthand as you have watched God make beauty from ashes. You have seen Him take death and replace it with life. What a good God He is!

Rejoice today, Believer! Our God is worthy of worship. Simply bc He’s God makes Him worthy of worship, but we also have another reason. Our God is able to create beauty out of ashes. Our God has replaced death with life. What an amazing God He is!