Tag Archives: forgiveness

Damaged Goods.

“God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength. It is the broken alabaster box that gives forth perfume. It is Peter, weeping bitterly, who returns to greater power than ever.”
― Vance Havner

I run a small business from home which involves taking used or donated clothing and fabric, still in moderate condition, and turning them into funky, reversible shopping bags. I am currently in the process of revamping the business model to incorporate other products and services, however at the moment, it’s predominantly all about bags. The process of separating the good pieces, whilst strengthening and reinforcing the more worn out ones, is time consuming. It is no easy feat, but a task worth pursuing as some pieces are so unique, it would be a waste to throw them out. Perseverance is a labour of love, a fact creators of anything beautiful and unique are well aware. We see the potential in almost everything.

Our creator God sees more than potential. He sees purpose. He desires to fill and repair us from the inside out. As with damaged, discarded, worn out fabric, so are we lost, used and abused. We are tattered souls looking for a saviour to stitch us whole again, to make something beautiful, purposeful, and worthy out of our lives. Some of us look for spiritual healing, others physical. Without the healing power of Christ Jesus, we find neither spiritual nor physical, and will forever remain damaged goods.

Whether we choose to cry out to Jesus or not, we cannot fix ourselves, the world will not right all wrongs and recycled fabric will not magically become bags. Some of us look for a sign of God’s existence, maybe an audible voice or a dream, but a wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given (Matt 16:4).

It is in the depths of our consciences, where Jesus speaks. He is the still soft voice prompting us to listen. This requires a humbling of the self, a bowing of the knees, a surrendering of pride, and a faith which trusts that with God, all things are possible (Mark 9:23). If at first, you do not find Him, try, try again and again and again. Never stop trying. God wants to be found by you. His grace is sufficient. Find healing, purpose and freedom in Christ, and be made whole again.

https://youtu.be/Rfmrh3QyHus

Our Story.

“…..Preach good tidings to the poor;
to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
And they shall rebuild the old ruins,
They shall raise up the former desolations,
And they shall repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.” (Isa 61:2-4)
 
Formerly a home-schooling family of nine, on a single income and a tight budget, we learned to value everything, rarely threw anything out, and always tried to look for creative ways to recycle. We would practice textiles and design using old clothes, moderately worn out linen or marked down fabric purchased from op-shops.
 
Building on the philosophy which underpinned the quilting industry, our family business was born. Beauty for Ashes has been 20 years in the making but we now intentionally rescue, restore, and re-purpose fabric into reversible, washable, funky bags.
 
Having recently survived a critical life event, our desire is to pay forward our blessings to others who may be or are going through similar situations. As with our philosophy on unwanted fabric, we believe there is no life too far gone or beyond reach. Every life is valuable and with the right tools and support, restoration and transformation is possible.
 
When you purchase the Beauty for Ashes bags, you are in the business of restoring, empowering and re-purposing lives. No two bags are alike and are as unique as each individual’s fingerprint. Made at home, with love, by a loving Australian family.

A pound of flesh.

A pound of flesh.

The pound of flesh, which I demand of him,
Is dearly bought; ’tis mine, and I will have it:
If you deny me, fie upon your law!
There is no force in the decrees of Venice:
I stand for judgment: answer, shall I have it? (Act 4, Scene 1. Merchant of Venice)

The courtroom scene in The Merchant of Venice gives a compelling account of the human condition as it highlights the hypocrisies of religion and the law. Although Shylock seems to be getting a fair trial, he’s already condemned, as the court makes a mockery of words like mercy and justice. Shakespeare’s courtroom scene vividly paints a picture of man’s pride, life’s injustices and the consequences of being unable to forgive.

Obviously, Shylock endured much persecution, pain and degradation at the hands of Antonio and the Christian Venetians and undoubtedly, we are able to empathise with his hurt and desire for justice and revenge. We see in Shylock a picture of a man who has been hard done by for much of his life. Despised by men and even by his own daughter, he’s marred with bitterness, pride and vengeance. Justifiable though he may be, he’s not entirely innocent.

As much as it’s possible to understand Shylock, we are torn between seeing him get his pound of flesh and waiting with bated breath for him to show some semblance of mercy. We want him to rise above his circumstances, forgive the Venetians and accept the offer from Antonio. We plead for him to prove himself better before the court and the audience, to extend the virtues of forgiveness, humility, kindness and mercy.

We often see this scene played out daily in our own lives. We’ve all seen people unable to forgive, hardened by anger and vengeance. Bitterness, pride and hatred are like scars on their faces. I’ve seen it in my children when they fight, in my family and amongst friends. We all want our day in court, revenge…. a pound of flesh. Alas! The reality is, life simply is not fair. The courts get it wrong many times; people make mistakes and accidents happen. I almost killed a boy today, or at least very nearly seriously injured him. Thank God, I was driving less than the speed required. Had I been going just 5km faster, instead of him bumping me, it could’ve been me running him down and over. I couldn’t even imagine what it would feel like to live with the guilt of taking someone’s life, let alone a child’s life. How could his family ever forgive me? How would I forgive myself? There are people who live with that kind of guilt for much of their lives. Forgiveness frees us of such unproductive and destructive emotions.

We have all been hurt and we have all at some point, caused pain in others. The fact is, no one is better than the other, there is no one innocent before God. Just like the Venetians who backed Shylock into a corner and Shylock who lashed out from his corner wielding a knife. We are all just a bunch of filthy, rotten sinners in need of a Savior. A Savior who will whisper, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” “Love your enemies and pray for those who use you and persecute you.” Liberating advice, loving advice, gracious, humble, life-giving advice.

Eventually, we see Shylock’s relentless pursuit of justice and revenge come to a bitter end. He is brought to an excruciatingly painful low, forced into submission and humiliated in the presence of his enemies. We walk away from this scene with genuine sorrow in our hearts for the man. But we walk away knowing that the day will soon come when we all shall see justice. A day when we all stand before the true judge to give an account for every word spoken and every dirty deed done in darkness. Until that day comes, do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.

“He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)
Matthew 5:44 (NKJV)
Luke 23:34 (NKJV)