Restoration

Earlier in my life I spent time, with my brother, restoring old vehicles like a 1932 Hupp Mobile and a 1927 Ford Model A.  These vehicles when they were new were quite nice to look at as they came down the road.  Were very beneficial to those who used them in their lives.  Over time due to use or maybe abuse had fallen into disrepair, not as useful anymore or as functional as they once were to those who used them.  My brother & I were successful in restoring these vehicles, will most of the way anyway.  Those were man made items but what about God made creations?  What happens to them?  How do people get restored?

It takes time, patience, an eye to detail, caring and perseverance to restore man made items.  Those are inanimate things, they are not living souls created by God.  We all see the effects of our society all around us on marriages, on daily living in our life choices, on over exposure to demands others or we put on ourselves.  It happens in every day life, it happens in our relationships, it happens in our churches.  What does it take to restore those living, breathing creations of God that have been abused, misused, beaten down spirits that have had their Joy squelched?

Restoring Joy that Jesus talks about in Mt. 11:28-31 to come to Him, Learn from Him, Take on His yoke (not the yoke of performance according to our thinking).  He is Gentle and Humble in Nature.  

Being that person to others is what is needed during restoration.  I have seen restoration of burn out, I have seen restoration of damaged/destroyed marriage vows, I am also that restored soul  that is spoken of Psalm 51 "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place. "  

Sadly our thinking wants to judge when mistakes (sins) are made.  We tend to focus with harshness, consequences in mind rather than mercy spoken of in this Psalm  "Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you. ..... Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise...".

Restoration comes from and through God's Way not from man's way.  Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  Learn from Him.  I've seen the beauty of God's restoration!!