Isaiah 61:3 -- “to comfort all who mourn…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes…”
Ashes are things of the past that didn’t work out. They are our ruined dreams. They are the things we once cherished that got burned up.
Ashes turn to lye when it gets wet. Lye is a powerful alkali that can be created using rain water and wood ashes. Lye created from wood ash is potassium hydroxide. Lye is very dangerous and extreme caution should be used when making or handling lye. Lye should never come in contact with aluminum as it will react with the metal. Lye can cause chemical burns if it comes in contact with your skin, and blindness if it gets in your eyes. In fact, when you get lye on your skin, it will begin reacting with the fatty acids on your skin and begin making soap. If you get lye on your skin you’d better get it off in a hurry. Use vinegar to neutralize the solution.
How often we are prone to sit in the ashes of our own misery and soak up self pity. Our tears turn our ashes into toxic lye that is corrosive to the beautiful crown God has bestowed to us in Christ. It is time to exchange those ashes for a crown of beauty. A flood of thanksgiving is the best way to wash away and neutralize the “lyes of Satan.” (pun intended). “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” (John 8:32) The truth of God’s word always sets us free. So let’s all soak in bountiful verbal thanksgiving for 10 minutes every day and we will find the ashes turning acid to medicine. “A merry heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22)
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