Something Beautiful

Something Beautiful Reader: Jon Watson Date: 6th September 2022 Passage: Ecclesiastes 3:11 ------------------- Suppose as an artist you have spent a long time painting one of your very favourite scenes and at last it is finished and looks good. Then disaster strikes — you spill paint all over it and it is ruined. It was beautiful. You can only grieve. Don't you think God must feel the same sadness when he looks at us? He created people to live in a perfect world, a world of beauty, peace, and contentment. But the picture was ruined by our sin, pride, and rebellion against the very God who so wanted the very best for us. What had started so beautiful became in many ways so ugly. But do you know what? God can take that ruined picture (you!) and change it into something beautiful — something restored! William T. Gaither, the author of many Gospel songs has written these words: 'The hope for life's best were the hopes that I harboured deep down in my heart; But my dreams turned to ashes, my castles all crumbled, my future turned to loss, so I wrapped it all up in the rags of my life and laid it at the cross. Something beautiful, something good; all my confusion He understood; All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife. But He made something beautiful of my life.' Christ is the great restorer of ruined sinners. Prayer Dear Lord Jesus, please make my life into something beautiful for you. Amen.