restoration

Restoration; renewal. reestablishment. revival. a reconstruction or reproduction. a return of something to a former, original, normal, or unimpaired condition. the act of restoring something or someone to a satisfactory state. the state of being restored to its former good condition. a returning to a normal or healthy condition

In one way or another dont we all hope for some sort of restoration? Maybe something has happened that has flipped your world upside down. Your life has been changed forever because of that one incident. Maybe a divorce, the loss of a loved one, loss of your job, serious injury or fatal illness, or maybe you just made a dumb decision. It could be anything. All you know is your life used to be so much easier, or better. You're wishing things could go back to the way they were but that's about all you can do is wish. You have tried to bring restoration. You have tried to "fix" your life but when you step back and are honest with yourself, when you face reality the reality is that nothing you have done or could ever do will bring true restoration to your life. Life as you knew it is forever changed and as far as our human eyes can see restoration is not possible, not by our own doing.

I have been there. I'm not telling you this because I have observed it in other peoples lives, I'm telling you this because I have observed it in my own life. Threw a series of events, deaths, relationships that fell apart, betrayal of close friends and family members, I became a concrete wall. No one could get in and my feelings could not get out. That was stupid decision number 1 and number 2 was not letting people in / not letting my feelings out. Stupid decision number 3 came a few years down the road when I decided I could fix the problem on my own, when I decided I could successfully reconstruct my own life and return it to its former condition. Even after realizing that my method of restoration wasn't working I continued with it. I proceeded to do the very thing I knew was not working, the thing that I knew would never work, the thing that I knew was causing more harm than good. This is not something I learned years ago, it is not something I learned months ago, weeks ago. It clicked two days ago. This is something that I still have a hard time with I'm not cured of thinking that I have the power, the strength to restore my life. It is a currant struggle for me but I wanted to share what I have learned thus far.

I was told to read Psalm 23. I had read it may times, it's a well known Psalm. I decided to read it and I got to verse 3 where it says "he restores my soul." and i realized that I might not be able to restore my soul but Jesus can. It says it right there in Psalm 23:3 he restores my soul. HE restores my soul. Jesus restores my soul.

He refreshes my soul Psalm 23:3 (TNIV)
He gives me new strength Psalm 23:3 (NIRV)
He renews my strength Psalm 23:3 (NLT)
He makes me strong again Psalm 23:3 (NLV)

Jesus does a lot of stuff. He is sitting there waiting for us to come to him so that he can restore us, make us whole again. Why do we have such a hard time letting him? Why do I have such a hard time letting him?