Reason #392
I feel like January crept by. I didn't think the month was ever going to end. Maybe it was because I started a new job and had no clue what was going on for the first few weeks. Maybe it's because I was so busy and then, all of the sudden, had nothing to do. It's hard to adjust back to normalcy after the holidays. But February is flying by. I can't believe how quickly this week went. Already the weekend. If only those didn't pass quickly, too.
I spent so much time last year counting up. I just wanted space and time because I knew that was the only thing that would help. The beginning of every month was a little milestone. I would think, "Okay, if I can just get through the week. If I can just make it through this certain date. If I can just get to 6 months. If time would just speed up." And time did. Before I knew it, time didn't matter anymore. I didn't think about what day it was. I didn't spend time calculating the weeks. Life picked back up, normalcy returned, and I can't believe it is now 2013.
But I'm back to counting again. Counting down this time. Because what seemed many months away is now in the double digits. I can't believe it. I can't believe the timeline. My timeline. And as I drove to work today, I just praised the Lord for what He has done for me. I heard this song by Chris August tonight about restoration. The whole song talks about marriage and how God is a God who is in the business of restoring. And, as everyone knows, restoration is not done over night. Restoration takes time, effort, energy. It's not an easy process. Because one must practice extreme care when restoring. One must be diligent in their efforts and not give up. True restoration doesn't happen with some ducktape and a bottle of super glue. Restoration is a rebuiling process. Taking what was, stripping away the old, dead, broken pieces and carefully replacing them with something better, something new, and something fresh. And when that happens, beauty is evidently seen and the value has now been greatly increased.
We're all in the process of being restored in one form or another. Renewed day after day even though we are wasting away. Because God is taking those old, ugly, broken pieces and He is replacing them with beautiful ones. He is giving us value even though we are worth nothing. And I wondered how He was going to restore my life. I couldn't figure it out. But restoration came in a different form than I ever expected. It took time, and it was slow and drawn out as I waited to see what He was going to do. But God was so careful and diligent to continue the process until it was complete. And the thing I'm learning about restored items is that they must always be gently cared for, maintained, and preserved once they've been given a second chance. They must be well kept and guarded because they are fragile. Yet I just praise the Lord that He looks at us, broken, beat up, and worthless and He sees what we can become. I'm thankful that He strips away even though it's painful and creates great vulnerability. Because when we're to the point of no return, when it seems too far gone, He can then begin the process of restoration. He can give us a new beauty and a new value that we wouldn't have otherwise. And He'll be sure to take care of us the whole time. To put forth great effort and energy to bring about a beautiful, worthwhile, valuable creation.
And so He will restore. He doesn't let us lie in pieces forever. We may have to be stripped down and broken apart, but it's for our own good. Only then do we usually realize how much we need to be fixed. And, from one who has had to have much work done, it has been worth it. Worth the pain, worth the wait, and worth the effort. And really, this is just the beginning. The Creator is always creating something new, and in my opinion, second chances are one of the best things He has created. And so restored, renewed, and given a new purpose. I'm glad He chose to bring about restoration that way.
#392 - Because He will restore us one way or another.
"That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!" - 2 Corinthians 4:16-17
I spent so much time last year counting up. I just wanted space and time because I knew that was the only thing that would help. The beginning of every month was a little milestone. I would think, "Okay, if I can just get through the week. If I can just make it through this certain date. If I can just get to 6 months. If time would just speed up." And time did. Before I knew it, time didn't matter anymore. I didn't think about what day it was. I didn't spend time calculating the weeks. Life picked back up, normalcy returned, and I can't believe it is now 2013.
But I'm back to counting again. Counting down this time. Because what seemed many months away is now in the double digits. I can't believe it. I can't believe the timeline. My timeline. And as I drove to work today, I just praised the Lord for what He has done for me. I heard this song by Chris August tonight about restoration. The whole song talks about marriage and how God is a God who is in the business of restoring. And, as everyone knows, restoration is not done over night. Restoration takes time, effort, energy. It's not an easy process. Because one must practice extreme care when restoring. One must be diligent in their efforts and not give up. True restoration doesn't happen with some ducktape and a bottle of super glue. Restoration is a rebuiling process. Taking what was, stripping away the old, dead, broken pieces and carefully replacing them with something better, something new, and something fresh. And when that happens, beauty is evidently seen and the value has now been greatly increased.
We're all in the process of being restored in one form or another. Renewed day after day even though we are wasting away. Because God is taking those old, ugly, broken pieces and He is replacing them with beautiful ones. He is giving us value even though we are worth nothing. And I wondered how He was going to restore my life. I couldn't figure it out. But restoration came in a different form than I ever expected. It took time, and it was slow and drawn out as I waited to see what He was going to do. But God was so careful and diligent to continue the process until it was complete. And the thing I'm learning about restored items is that they must always be gently cared for, maintained, and preserved once they've been given a second chance. They must be well kept and guarded because they are fragile. Yet I just praise the Lord that He looks at us, broken, beat up, and worthless and He sees what we can become. I'm thankful that He strips away even though it's painful and creates great vulnerability. Because when we're to the point of no return, when it seems too far gone, He can then begin the process of restoration. He can give us a new beauty and a new value that we wouldn't have otherwise. And He'll be sure to take care of us the whole time. To put forth great effort and energy to bring about a beautiful, worthwhile, valuable creation.
And so He will restore. He doesn't let us lie in pieces forever. We may have to be stripped down and broken apart, but it's for our own good. Only then do we usually realize how much we need to be fixed. And, from one who has had to have much work done, it has been worth it. Worth the pain, worth the wait, and worth the effort. And really, this is just the beginning. The Creator is always creating something new, and in my opinion, second chances are one of the best things He has created. And so restored, renewed, and given a new purpose. I'm glad He chose to bring about restoration that way.
#392 - Because He will restore us one way or another.
"That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!" - 2 Corinthians 4:16-17
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