Beauty from Ashes

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

Isaiah: 61:3

A sweet friend sent me this verse a few days ago and it has always been one of my favorites but it so fits our current situation.

Childhood cancer stinks. The diagnosis has brought us to our knees literally. We have watched our baby endure so much to fight this Goliath. His hair has fallen our in chunks thanks to the chemo. He is so skinny and pale that it frightens us, we have held his head over a throw up bucket more times than we care to count, and we know that our lives have a new normal as we adjust to life with cancer.

But, the Lord can take something as scary and awful and bring beauty from the ashes called childhoood cancer. Yes we are so scared and this is so awful, however we have been in such a scary place that we have seen some amazingly beautiful things to come from these ashes.

Friday after a long and hard day at the hospital we arrived home to find a package from my college sorority sisters. Over forty ladies had come together to send us a generous monetary gift for our family. Thanks to social networking forty ladies had reunited for my baby to bless us. Pure beauty. (Thanks ladies and it has been so wonderful to find you again and catch up:)

To hear that a group of our friends met one evening to brainstorm Team David and then see in action a sea of Team David shirts at the Thomas Musser walk was such an encouragement and blessing to us. Pure Beauty.

David is really picky about who can help him drink or eat or even get dressed. The other day the chosen one was Kyle. David asked Kyle to get him ready the other morning. I then watched my ten year old amazing child undress David, encourage him to go to the potty, put a clean pull up on him and then proceed to get him dressed. Watching my big burly ten-year old lovingly dress his sick, skinny, bald, brother with marks and incision marks all over his body is a sight I will never forget. Pure beauty.

Witnessing my sweet and talkative two year-old daughter bring different foods to David and say "tum on Dave eat your _____" in her sweet, southern drawl is precious to us. She too gets that DAvid needs a little encouragement right now. Pure Beauty.

Witnessing one of Kyle's basketball teammates come up to me and ask specifically for one of the David buttons to wear. Pure Beauty.

Watching the Hornets basketball players get so excited to present DAvid with his new uniform was precious. They all love David and they were excited for him. Pure Beauty.

The list could literally go on and on. We have received so many wonderful emails that start with "you don't know me but..." and then go on to say that they are praying for our family and how our story has touched them somehow. We have seen first hand the Body of Christ step up and minister to us in such a way. Pure Beauty.

So praise you Lord for your words. Thank you that you alone can take something so hard and scary and use it for your good and your glory. May we always remember that You alone can bring beauty from the ashes of despair.