First of all, Joyce Meyer wrote Beauty of Ashes as a move to tell her own tale of healing. If you don’t know, Joyce Meyer herself actually has her own share of bad and terrible experiences that women have in their lives. And whether she liked it or not, these experiences brought her to a place in her heart where healing seems impossible. For more than thirty years, Meyer was abused physically, verbally and sexually. But it was indeed a miracle when she found the hope and strength that she needed to once again stand up with the help of God.
Beauty for Ashes is a book that is dedicated primarily for victims of abuse. Through this book, Meyer states that the adversities faced by victims will surely change the way they look at themselves, thinking that they are worthless. But life does not and should not stop there. Meyer talks about the course of her own life, highlighting the fact that she have gone through everything that these victims are going through. After that, she moves on by telling the way that she found it possible to actually get back up, using only her faith in God as a weapon.
All of us eventually become victims in life, not always of abuse but of all forms of problems and adversities. And because of the pain that we harbor, we sometimes start to push God out of our lives. We start believing that we are alone, but the truth is we are not. And this is what Meyer would like to share to her readers. The past is gone and what was forcibly taken away from us at that time is lost forever, but we still have the present that we can use to reshape our lives in order to have a better future.
In addition, Meyer also discusses the forward topic of seeking revenge. It is fairly understandable how avenging themselves could be the first thing that occupies the minds of the victims after their experiences. After all, with their trashed mind and body, having clear thoughts is nearly impossible. But Meyer says that victims should forget about these thoughts, as only God alone has the right to punish wrongdoers
If there is one person that can completely talk about such a sensitive matter, it is someone who has had their fair share of experience in it. You will surely find it somehow sad yet still impressive how Meyer uses her very own story to construct the flow of the book. It was honest, it was painful, but it was beautiful. Beauty for Ashes is a must-read for everyone who is struggling to fight a battle with tragedies in their past. Grabbing a copy of Beauty for Ashes is one thing that you can do to teach yourself to heal and move on, whether you were a victim of abuse or not.
Also checkout the Confident Woman book.
