Beauty for Ashes
Lent as a Time of Healing
Have you found yourself carrying pain that you don’t quite know how to let go of? Or maybe shame has whispered to you that your wounds make you unworthy of love? What if this season—right now—was an invitation to let go and continue your journey to healing?
I didn’t grow up in a church that observed Lent. Lent was something I vaguely associated with Catholics and something about giving up chocolate or, God forbid, coffee. It wasn’t until later in life when I became part of a church that intentionally walked through the Lenten season that I began to understand the truth of its depth and beauty. At first, I resisted—why focus on suffering, repentance, and sacrifice? It felt heavy, even unnecessary.
But over time, I realized that Lent isn’t about dwelling in sorrow; it’s about making space for healing.
Lent invites us to slow down, examine our hearts, and surrender the burdens we’ve carried for too long. Whether it’s grief, shame, or deep wounds we’ve tried to ignore, this season offers a sacred opportunity to bring them before God. Healing is not instant. It is a process, one that God patiently walks through with us.
God does not rush the healing process; He walks with us through it. He sees our suffering, and rather than demanding we “get over it,” He invites us into His presence, where true restoration begins.
How Do We Begin to Heal?
Many of us carry wounds we’d rather ignore—pain from the past, grief we haven't processed, or shame that whispers lies about our worth. But healing can only begin when we allow God into those broken places that we are trying to hide. As Celestia Tracy writes in Explore, “Healing begins when we give God access to our deepest wounds.”
Lent challenges us to do just that. To let go of the masks, the self-protection, and the belief that we must heal ourselves, by ourselves, alone. Instead, we are called to surrender. Surrender does not mean giving up; it means entrusting our pain to the One who can redeem it.
What Keeps Us from Letting Go?
Shame thrives in the dark. It convinces us that our pain makes us unworthy of love, that if people knew our story, they would turn away. But Scripture tells a different story. Jesus met the broken with compassion. He welcomed the outcast, healed the wounded, and spoke dignity over those who felt unworthy.
Lent invites us to step into that same grace. When we bring our wounds before God, He does not condemn—He restores. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).
Can God Really Make Something Beautiful from Our Pain?
Lent is a journey through the wilderness, but it leads to resurrection. As we walk through grief, surrender shame, and invite God into our wounds, we are being transformed. Isaiah 61:3 promises that God gives “a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”
This Lent, let’s choose to embrace the process. Let’s trust that God is working, even in the unseen places, out of our ashes creating something beautiful. Healing may not happen overnight, but we do not walk this path alone. God is with us, every step of the way.
This Lent, may you find the courage to surrender, the grace to heal, and the hope that comes from knowing God is making all things new.
