Excerpt from a letter dated December, 2009:
I know things are hard for you right now. When I was thinking of you this morning, these words came to my mind.
Isaiah 61: 1-3 NLT
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,
for the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted
and to proclaim that captives will be released
and prisoners will be freed.
2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn
that the time of the Lord’s favor has come,
and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.
3 To all who mourn in Israel,
he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
festive praise instead of despair.
In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks
that the Lord has planted for his own glory.
You might recognize the first verse as the passage Jesus used when he taught in the synagogue (Luke 4). He applied it to himself.
But when I think of you, I think of verse 3. In order for God to give you a crown of beauty, joyous blessing and festive praise, you must already have ashes, mourning and despair. You do. We all do. And strangely, God considers it a satisfactory exchange.
That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
for those who love him.” I Corinthians 2:9 NLT
I want you to know that God believes in you. He knows who you are. You can do whatever it takes. Trust God, trust yourself. You are loved.