The ultimate trade
There is a beautiful play on the words and sounds here in Hebrew at the end of Isaiah that we miss out on in English. The phrase, “give unto them beauty for ashes” in Hebrew is “peer” for “epher.” It means an ornamental headdress or a garland you put on your head (beauty), for ashes.
He will trade me beauty for ashes, but I have to have faith in him to make the trade. I have to be willing to come to him with my regrets, my broken heart, my sorrow, and he promises to trade that for strength and beauty. It takes time, and sometimes it takes many years for the trade to be complete, but the trade does happen if we trust in him to make it…
Eat the frog
There’s a famous quote by Mark Twain that I use all of the time: “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.” With that philosophy in mind, as I started reading all of the Standard Works this year, I started with the Old Testament. What I have been discovering is amazing- the Old Testament is loaded with stories that are making a difference in my life and have real meaning…