Beauty in Place of Soil 绽放荣美

[Dexu Xia]

Bestow on them 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. Isaiah 61:3

One evening, I noticed neat rows of soil in a vacant lot near my home. Each row contained small green leaves with tiny buds peeking out. The next morning, I stopped in my tracks when I saw a patch of beautiful red tulips sprouting in the lot.

The previous fall, a group had planted one hundred thousand bulbs in empty lots throughout the South Side of Chicago. They chose red to symbolize how redlining (lending discrimination by banks) had impacted neighborhoods where primarily minorities lived. The tulips symbolized the houses that could have been in those lots.

God’s people have endured many challenges—from being exiled from their homelands to discrimination like redlining. Yet, we can still find hope. Isaiah reminds Israel during a time of exile that God would not leave them. He’d give them a “crown of beauty” in place of ashes. Even the poor would receive “good news” (61:1). God promised to exchange despairing spirits with a “garment of praise.” All of these images evoke His splendor and would bring joy to the people, who would now be “oaks of righteousness” instead of dejected exiles (v. 3).

Those tulips also show that God can create splendor from dirt and discrimination. I look forward to seeing the tulips each spring, and more importantly renewed hope in my neighborhood and other communities.  By:  Katara Patton

Where in your community have you seen beauty replace despair? How can you help create beauty in places of despair?

Thank You, God, for the beauty You allow me to see even when my circumstances seem dire.

赐华冠⋯⋯代替灰尘，喜乐油代替悲哀，赞美衣代替忧伤之灵。—以赛亚书61章3节

一天傍晚，我注意到我家附近的空地上，有一排排整齐的田畦，每一排都长着绿色的小叶子，上面露出含苞待放的花蕾。第二天早上，只见那块空地冒出了一片艳丽夺目的红色郁金香，让我不禁驻足观赏。

去年秋天，一个团体在芝加哥南区的一些空地种下了十万株郁金香球茎。他们选择栽种红色花朵来象征美国恶名昭彰的“红线制度”（redlining），如何影响这些主要是少数族群居住的社区。这些少数族群在申请贷款时，常因银行歧视而被拒，而郁金香则象征在这些空地上原本可以建造的房子。

上帝的子民经历许多挑战，从被掳过着流亡的生活，及至遭遇像红线制度这样的歧视。然而，上帝的子民仍有盼望。正如在被掳期间，先知以赛亚提醒以色列人，上帝不会离开他们，并要赐予“华冠”代替灰尘，就连贫穷人也有“好信息”传给他们，上帝还应许以“赞美衣代替忧伤之灵”（61章1、3节）。所有的愿景都绽放上帝的荣美，并让人欢欣喜乐，那时，他们将成为“公义树”（3节），不再是颓丧的流亡者。

那些郁金香也让人看到上帝能从污泥和歧视中创造荣美。我期待在每年春天都能看到郁金香，更重要的是在我的邻里和其他社区看到新的希望。

在你的社区中，
你在何时看到美丽取代了绝望？
你要如何在绝望之地创造美好？

上帝啊，感谢祢，让我在困境中看见祢的荣美。