Altar’d Ashes
We have a fire pit in our yard. We like to sit around it with the kids roasting marshmallows as we gaze at the stars above, listening to campfire music and inventing word games. There’s something about a campfire that brings comfort; something about a mesmerizing flame that brings peace.
When the evening fire’s glow is over, the next day’s ashes tells a different story.
ashes: residue/remains of something destroyed, ruins.
When I look at the next day’s ashes, there is only gray. I smell the burnt and charred remains of what once had color, warmth and vibrancy -- now lifeless dust.
To my earthly senses, there’s no value in ashes. They’re smelly and messy! But there’s something about ashes I didn’t know until recently.
While listening to a message shared by Amie Dockery at The Belonging Co. Church in Nashville, she told the true story of a priceless Picasso painting being accidentally, devastatingly damaged by a gaping tear in its canvas. A loving restoration undertaken by its owner actually increased the value of the painting…even though the obvious scars on the back side of the canvas tell the story ‘behind’ its beauty:
THE ONCE PERFECT ORIGINAL OF THIS PAINTING
HAS BEEN REPAIRED/ALTERED.
Sharing an excerpt of Amie’s message:
When something has been destroyed or damaged and then restored, it then holds the intrinsic value of the LOVER of that piece of artwork. Someone loved this enough to [restore it to wholeness]…and in the art world, the imperfection [of scars on the back which tell the story of restoration]… actually drives UP the value of the painting!
Amie went on to say this, about ashes:
“Did you know that in ancient times, ashes were only valuable to an artist? Michelangelo painted the whole Sistine Chapel with the ashes of burnt, dead things!”
WOW. That puts ashes in a whole new light, doesn’t it? What appears to be burnt and worthless ruins, when put in the hands of the “master artist”, is used to to create a more valuable masterpiece!
That’s great news to all of us. Our value is not in being perfect. Parts of our story that we consider destroyed, ruined and of no value, are anything but throwaways to THE Master Artist — The One who created us.
When we pour our ashes at His altar and surrender to His restoration process, He alters our ashes into the richest restoration of our life story’s canvas. He makes us a “Masterpiece”!
And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places…. - Isaiah 58:11a
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the things He planned for us long ago. - Ephesians 2:10
Links for Amie Dockery’s message are shared in the reSOURCEs below.
reSOURCEs:
God gives “beauty for ashes” [Isaiah 61:1-3]
Amie Dockery speaks at The Belonging Co. Church - Oct 30, 18 podcast.
Worship Song: Alter Me