.there’s beauty in the ash heap.

“Who is like the Lord our God,
      who is seated on high,
 who looks far down
    upon the heavens and the earth?
               He raises the poor from the dust,
and lifts the needy from the ash heap.”
Psalm 113:5-7

More than anything right now I am learning what a blessing it is to be poor, needy, and broken.  So often in our society, we strive so much for independence and security that we never give God the chance to show himself faithful.  I often wonder why it is that God doesn’t provide for me, but so rarely do I even get out of the way long enough for him to step in.  But once I let myself walk out on that limb, once I leave what’s familiar and plunge into the depths of the unknown, that’s where he shows up.  It seems that the only danger in this life is to cling to the tree trunk of the known, desparately holding onto stability that wanes with each coming season.  It may be frightening, but it is far safer to let go of false securities and fall into the arms of the inventor of seasons.  Then, and only then, can we embrace each season in all its brilliance.

Long story short, God provides exactly what I need, exactly when I need it.  And it always seems to come from unexpected places.