Restoration

One Sunday last September, I had the revelation that restoration isn't easy. God had been speaking to my heart throughout the year that He wanted to restore some things, which I thought sounded great. In my mind, it meant a year full of blessing and happiness. Then came the idea that restoration isn't easy. God and I obviously had different ideas of how this would play out.

I shared this revelation with my counselor the following Tuesday. She listened and then felt like she should share what came to mind when I said the word 'restoration.' She told me she saw a picture of an old house that was falling apart and in need of repair. A house that needed to be completely gutted and redone, so that it could be restored to its former beauty. I didn't think much of it (I'm sure the blank look on my face was not encouraging to her at all), but told myself I'd pray about it later.

The next day, as I began my quiet time with The Lord, I briefly brought up the house metaphor. I planned to move on but then I felt that God wanted to say more. As I listened, God gave me an amazing picture of what He wanted to do in my life. I felt God say that yes, He did want to restore me, just like an old house that needs to be repaired. I felt Him say that He wanted to come in and tear down walls, throw away trash, and re-wire everything so that it went through Him. He gave me a visual of all the windows that He wanted to replace so that others could see Him through me. He showed me that He wanted to heal my heart, so that I could invite others in and show them His love and warmth and care. God even told me that He is preparing my two to know how to care for and cherish this rebuilt home, and that he will understand and value all of the work that has been done. Needless to say, at the end of my quiet time I was more than a little blown away by it all.

Almost six months after God gave me this vision, it's even more clear why He did. God knew that the restoration wasn't going to be easy. He knew that it was going to be hard and painful and much more work than I anticipated. God knew that I would need a visual, a promise, that I could hold onto, especially in the dark days. God knew that I would need HOPE to keep moving forward in this restoration process. God has been faithful; He has been doing the restorative work in my heart, on my house, even though it hasn't always been easy. And I hold tightly to the truth that He will make all things beautiful in His time.