Isaiah 61:3
Ashes are not seen as useful substances.
Ashes are waste that's thrown away.
Ashes are what is left after a substance is burnt out.
Your life may seem like ashes right now but something good and beautiful can come out of it when it's given to God.
You may feel like an ash yourself.
You may be feeling burnt out from unpleasant experiences of the past, the previous week, the last Month , or the the last year and life's battles may have left you burnt out.
Know that out of your ashes can come beauty!
God is the one who gives us beauty for ashes.
God can make you and your life beautiful!
Don't make the ashes your permanent state.
God can make your season of ashes work out into a season of glory for you.
Romans 8:28
The phoenix is a mystical and fictional bird that burns out after living for about six centuries.
After burning itself out it rises from it's ashes renewed, youthful and revitalized to live through another life cycle.
Like the phoenix, you can rise to higher heights from the depths of your ashes with God on your side.
Like the phoenix you can be renewed, refreshed and revitalized with God's help.
The eagle is a special kind of bird.
The eagle in a sense renews it's youth just like a phoenix does.
Psalm 103:5
When the eagle is tired, worn out and needs to change it's feathers it goes to the top of the highest mountain it can find, spreads itself out, exposing itself to the rays of the sun for healing.
It pulls out all its worn out and old feathers and remains on the mountain top until new and beautiful feathers have grown.
After this process of rejuvenation, the eagle is healed, renewed, and revitalized. Once again it flies off ready to be king of the skies.
In 2019, be like the eagle and the phoenix.
Just like these birds, rise out of your ashes.
Just like both birds you don't have to be limited by the 'ashes' of your past.
As it is with the eagle and the phoenix you don't have to be bound by the ugly and the unpleasant.
1 Samuel 2:8