Restored: Transforming the Sting of Your Past Into Purpose for TodaySample

A Call to Restoration

About four years ago, my wife Holly and I purchased an old, dilapidated, and forgotten farm out in the country. And I spent today, my day off, doing what I love: restoring another part of this old farm. At day’s end, I sat tired on the front porch and watched the sunset. My mind trailed down one path to another, and I found myself thanking God for the life He has given me, for what He has restored in me.

My hobby of restoring this old farm meant so much more than fixing broken fences. I realized that the process of this place is a picture of my life. I, too, was forgotten. I was abandoned, and rejection consumed me. I sat in the ruins of my pain. I was a major renovation project. One most people would pass up, never look twice at, and if they did, they would surely decide they’d bankrupt themselves on me. I was not worth the effort.

But God.

But God decided that I was worth fighting for. Dying for.

He loves me because I am worthy to Him. Worthy of being repaired and restored. Worthy of fighting for the beauty that resides under all the ruins. I saw ruins; He saw beauty. I saw a kid whose father never paid attention to him until it was too late, but He saw a man for whom He traded His Son’s life. He wanted me. He didn’t throw me out and start over with someone shiny and new.

And slowly but surely, He is transforming me into something beautiful. As I process one painful part of my story after another with God, He shows me the beauty that can be found in it. He is not deleting parts of my past; He is transforming them.

And as I sat on that porch, I solidified something in my heart. My newfound hobby of repairing fences, rebuilding barns, and restoring the logs of this weathered home is a reflection of not only what has been done in me but also what I want to give my life to. I want to be a part of the repair process of people’s lives. I want to show up when everyone else walks out. I want to be a restorer. Not of farms but hearts.

“Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls and a restorer of homes,” Isaiah 58:12.

What does Christ want to do with your brokenness and pain? Let Him show you that your messes won’t be wasted, and He can restore you from the inside out.