beauty from ashes

Today in the One Year Bible, we read from Luke 19:28-48. Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a borrowed donkey, and everyone exults Him remembering the miracles they had seen. We saw something of a miracle this week that we can remember, too.

This week we saw a terrible thing: Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris caught on fire. According to reports, it was an accident, possibly caused by a short circuit. That's the bad news, and the whole world held its breath to see if the entire Cathedral would be lost.

But thanks be to God, most of the Cathedral survived the fire. The incredibly beautiful rose windows were spared. Even the bees that were kept on the roof somehow survived the fire. Here is some information on why Notre Dame is so important.

So once again we've seen God do what He does so well. He took something that the entire world perceived as a tragedy and transformed it into something amazing and beautiful. He saved this church - just as He saves me and you, maybe singed and having lost a little of our grandeur... but still wonderful and beautiful and salvageable - with a little work.

God, thanks for giving us this life lesson this week. Help us to remember this lesson when we feel our lives are on fire.