From the ridiculous to the sublime?

"beauty for ashes"

Isaiah 61:3

This is a beautiful passage in Isaiah; one that calls for meditation, I think.  A little pondering.  Because in many ways, it's something only God can do, at least on the scale to which He's referring in this passage.   But I think that maybe God expects us to do the same, in our lives, in some way ~ at least to the best of our ability!

So in that spirit, I want to share with you an example of making something beautiful... out of something.... well, not so beautiful. 

I saw this in a natural history museum in San Antonio.  Isn't that a beautiful deer?  Now, what do you think of when you think of a deer?  Grace, agility, gentleness, strength, delicate beauty...

But now look a little closer:

Can you see what the medium is?  It's not paint, although the background is paint.  It's not pencils or pastels or charcoal.

It's actually more like those art projects we used to make when we were kids ~ remember using pasta to create something beautiful for your mom and dad?

But it's not pasta.

It's made from rattles.  From rattlesnakes.  Anyone else grossed out by that? 

But it's beautiful.  It was done by a woman named Emile Friedrich, in the late 1800's.  I saw that, and I was sort of fascinated and horrified at the same time.  Snakes are low and dirty and, well, reptiles.  In the Bible, they represent sin, and satan.  But look what she did!  Beauty!  From rattlesnake!

Okay, now here's God's promise...

      The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,
      Because the LORD has anointed Me
      To preach good tidings to the poor;
      He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
      To proclaim liberty to the captives,
      And the opening of the prison to those who are bound...

      To console those who mourn in Zion,
      To give them beauty for ashes,
      The oil of joy for mourning,
      The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
      That they may be called trees of righteousness,
      The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified...

      I will greatly rejoice in the LORD,
      My soul shall be joyful in my God;
      For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
      He has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
   
      For as the earth brings forth its bud,
      As the garden causes the things that are sown in it 

            to spring forth,
      So the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise

            to spring forth before all the nations.

Now that's beautiful!