Do you ever hear a song that just touches your heart? A song that changes your mind? A theme song from a certain movie or show that you know every word to or maybe you catch yourself singing daily? Or a song that you wake up singing daily?
Maybe this is no accident that this song is on your heart or mind a lot? Have you ever stopped and thought about why this song keeps playing in your head? Maybe there is no reason why... But maybe, just maybe there is a deeper meaning.
In 2013 my theme song was Oceans by Hillsong. That song woke up things in my heart and mind that I didn't even know were asleep. "Call me out upon the waters of the great unknown...." How many of us actually pray that prayer? Do we really want a life that is full of unknowns? Maybe unknowns can be happy beautiful moments or many moments can be trials or sad or growing moments. The great unknown for many of us is a terrifying thought.
Also, how many of us actually want "trust without borders?" Trust without borders means we are willing to submit our entire life to him. We are willing to go to the unknown cause we go completely trust him. We are willing to go where he takes us. We no longer have God in a box. We no longer trust him with just our daily routines or schedules. We trust him with no if, ands or buts....
I am telling you this song was a game changer for me. I am praying for the great unknown and for trust without borders. The courage and boldness to keep praying this prayer when I get weary...
So you maybe wondering where is she going with all this? She is going on and on about 2013 and this song-- move on- so okay here it is.
So what does He answer this weary prayer with? He has been playing "Beautiful Exchange" over and over again. Another Hillsong song.
I hear it all the time.
At functions, on the radio, at church.... I wake up with it on my heart. I believe 2014 is going to be a year of beautiful exchanges... For me. For many!
The lyrics to the song are powerful. Sweet. This song reminds us of the most precious beautiful exchange...Jesus on the cross...but for me every time I hear this song I see many other beautiful exchanges that we can engage in during a life time.
If you haven't heard this song or Oceans- YouTube the video so you can hear just how beautiful they are.
So anyways the Beautiful Exchange song wrecks me... in a good way! I just keep seeing the beautiful exchange he was willing to do for each and every one of us but I also see his hands held out for other exchanges he wants to do with us.
We carry around stuff that he wants to take from us. He has his hands held out ready to take our messy, ugly, dirty stuff and make it into something beautiful.
A Beautiful Exchange.
There is ministry I know of where woman get to burn things from their past in a huge bonfire. They take the stuff from their past and burn it.
Ashes for beauty. Beauty from ashes.
A new walk in life. Freedom.
A Beautiful Exchange.
Healing after abortion. Classes,books, testimonies. Women being able to talk freely about it and help other generations break the curse. People who have walked through an abortion able to come to their father with their ashes (guilt, shame, burdens etc etc) and receive beauty (forgiveness, love, grace etc etc).
A Beautiful Exchange.
Forgiveness. We forgive people who have hurt us. We forgive those who didn't protect us or love us. We forgive when society seems to tell us to never forgive them.
A Beautiful Exchange.
Our savior dying on a cross for our sins.
A Beautiful Exchange.
Ashes for beauty is the beautiful exchange. Many things in our life can represent ashes. Abortion, porn, cancer, rape, murder, stealing, lying, gossip, hoarding, drinking, drugs etc etc. He is our beauty though. God is the beauty we get for trading in the ashes. He is peace, love, grace, mercy, strength etc etc.
What was intended to harm us, He uses for good.... For His glory.
He uses all things for good. Let me say that again- ALL things for good. He promises that.
A Beautiful Exchange.
Imagine a beautiful side of a mountain. Maybe when you were little you use to camp at this particular mountain. The trees were so tall they touched the sky. Imagine the sound of the birds, and wild life. Maybe even a near by a river was there. You can smell or hear the water .....
Now a terrible thing happens. A natural thing. Lighting strikes a tree. Or maybe an unnatural thing happens like a camp fire was not put out. The whole mountain side on fire. Everything burns. All of it is gone in minutes. All the beauty that took years to grow is now gone. So we think.
These ashes provide nutrients for the soil. The mountain side re-grows. The trees are bigger and more shade than before. The dead trees were taken out by the fire. Wild flowers are growing again. The mountain side is beautiful again. Some would say there is more beauty here now than before.
We are like that mountain. Some of us are just growing, maturing and then something (or someone) comes along and WHAM burns us... Some of us go through hard things our entire life and constantly being burned.... But guess what?
Beauty for ashes..... Give him the ashes. It is time. Remember he uses all things for good. Even with all the ashes beautiful things can come out of it. Their is nutrients (character or growth) that comes from ashes.... Don't believe the lie that you have to much to give him. Even your ashes can be traded for beauty!
A Beautiful Exchange....
He gave us the best exhange there ever will be. He exchanged his life so we may have life. That was the best exchange for all of us. However, I believe we can have many other beautiful exchanges.
We can give him our ashes.
Nothing is too much for him. Nothing is to ugly for him. Nothing is too hard for him. Nothing surprises him. What do you have to give him? Your life? Or maybe you have given him your life but you aren't willing to give him your trust? Or an addiction you have? Or something ugly that happened to you? Perhaps something ugly that you did?
He is waiting for you. He wants your ashes. He can and will use it for good.
He promises.
You are worth the beautiful exchange. Don't let anything stop you from giving him the ashes.
Let 2014 be a year of exchanges.
Beautiful Exchanges.