EVERMORE Kangani’s book titled Beauty for Ashes is about people who endured hardship, sorrow, heartache, and all other ills and how they persevered through thick and thin by trusting and believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Through the lessons penned in the book, many can be helped through the atonement of Jesus Christ and instead of ashes associated with mourning, have beauty.
The phrase “beauty for ashes” is borrowed from the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament and gives reference to Israel’s promised recompense for its afflictions as a people (Isaiah 61:3)
With the craft of a teacher, Kangani uses powerful personal and other people’s experiences, and stories from scripture to fortify what he refers to as “hope and healing”
According to Kangani, hope and healing comes through when one makes a decision to trust sorely in Jesus Christ.
“When one ceases to focus much on the circumstances, pain and suffering refuse to be bound by the status quo,” she said.
“Here a solution is being given and a way out has been revealed.
“When we are cut off in traffic how do we respond? There are many possible responses, but to give "beauty for ashes," there is a Christlike way to respond.”
The book begins with Kangani’s experiences and those that she knew who experienced sorrow, injustice, and loss that provided the groundwork for the book.
From here, the book takes its course and explores other instances in life and scripture about what it means to give beauty for ashes.
One of the prominent examples in the book is the familiar biblical story of Ruth.
“Having lost her husband and being far from her parents in a foreign land and the person she hoped would be her last solution asking her to return to her people was a blow to her,” Kangani said.
“She was left to make a decision for her next move.
“In her faith in God, she refused to let go of her destiny and chose to stick to her mother-in-law, and through her pursuit of kindness, honour, and faithfulness, she obtained a blessing. God granted her beauty for ashes through a prince called Boaz.
“Those familiar with the story know that through Ruth God orchestrated circumstances towards the birth of David, then from David to the birth of Jesus.”
Ultimately giving beauty for ashes — even in times or circumstances when it is not deserved or recognized — is the aim of our actions, Kangani writes.
Kangani’s aim is to help the reader gain a little more acceptance with life’s struggles and offers applicable advice from the life of Jesus Christ.
