He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." Revelation 21:5A sunny Saturday afternoon was perfect for a simple home project. The project was to take no more than an hour. Materials gathered, I studied the steps. The plan was to change out a fill valve in the upstairs bathroom – a simple plumbing procedure. About ½ way through the steps of shutting off the valve and disconnecting the line, the water gushed from the wall uncontrollably. Turns out, the plumbing was poorly designed. To make matters much worse, the shut off valve to the entire home was missing. Water rained from the second floor to the first for over an hour as I helplessly waited for my rescue. Finally, the professional arrived to valve off the river and make repairs. But the damage was done.
In just a moment, a literal tsunami poured in. Immediately I had to contact a host of vendors to begin restoration to my home: the plumber, the electrician, the restoration
company, a handyman. At the same time, I had to find temporary housing, as did
my tenant, for a few days while the restoration took place. By the end of a few
weeks and nightmare restoration process, I shelled out thousands of dollars to
restore my residence. By discipline and miracle, all of the funds were available
in savings, but still a steep sting and setback.
I replayed the events over and over in frustration, but
never guilt. My mistake wasn’t in procedure, it was in pride. My mistake wasn’t
in my capability, it was in ignoring my vulnerability. A professional would
have seen the flaws in the design and prevented disaster – had I simply called.
So much of my other life events are wrapped in the same choices – some end in
disaster, some are a slower burn. My mistake is self-sufficiency: I am capable,
but I’m not the professional. Should I call the one who calls the shots, as the
Life Creator and All Knowing and Wise One – I am in a much greater position to
have Him reveal flaws in my design before I make decisions that lead to
disaster. I can’t stop the storm, but I can keep calm in the calamity. Help
may not always be immediate or ideal, but recovery is on the way when the calls are made.
Recovery may be an extremely traumatic and painful
process, but the end result is worth the sacrifice. The alternative to live in
the rubble of poor decisions is much, much worse. Yet, how many of us choose rubble over restoration...
All kinds of storms wreck our lives. Relational, financial,
emotional, mental, physical, spiritual – certainly every one of these
hurricanes has hit me again and again. Life is never intended to be free of storms- to pursue
such perfection is another devastating disappointment on top of an already
flawed life. Life is never only storms and never only sunshine. We are a mix of eternity and
experience. Eternity of the heart and experience of the Earth. In the shifting
sands of life, the heart remains where we anchor our soul.
Restoration comes from destruction. Resurrection from crucifixion. It is moving from old to new, death to life, ashes to beauty. It
is both costly and rewarding. Repairing is binding the broken. Restoring is
bringing the beauty. Life’s journey is continually on a quest for daily restoration
– however that may be – for it’s in our deepest desires to live in the fullness
of life. The Ultimate restoration, however, is of the heart and our Home.
Yeshua is always new and covers us in new – mercies new each morning and eternity
of New: Relationship with Him Restored through His Blood Sacrifice. Now and
Always.
