Forgiving Challenge: The 11-Day Life-Changing Journey to FreedomSample

Day 8: What is Restoration?

In 2015 a twelve-year-old Taiwanese boy lost his footing and accidentally punched a hole into a 1.5 million dollar painting while trying to break his fall. Thanks to modern technology, you can watch the fall on YouTube! Talented artists spent hours restoring the painting to look like it used to be. If you were to look at it today, there would be no signs of any damage.

This is the kind of restoration that King David meant when he said:

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Psalm 23:3.

To restore means to bring back, refresh or turn around. So it isn't making something new but getting something back to its original purpose or creation.

It's easy to think of forgiveness as linear progress.

Keep moving things forward. Let's just put it all behind us. Onward and upward.

You're not alone if you have ever said any of these phrases. But forgiveness isn't linear and clean; it's a messy journey. And things often get messier before they get cleaner. God isn't interested in leaving the mess behind and starting over. Instead, he wants to restore what was broken. God declared His creation "good" in the Garden of Eden, and God doesn't waste anything. He wants to fix what was destroyed, not just throw everything out.

God's intent after sin is always to restore the relationship that we lost in the first place. In Peter's story, God not only paid the price for his sin, but He invited Peter back into a life of meaning and purpose. Do you remember those calls to "Feed my sheep" from the fireside chat in John 21? The word for pastor most often used in the Bible is "shepherd." That was a clear call from Jesus to Peter that God wasn't done with him even though he had sinned. God still wanted him to lead the church in the future.

Restoration hits at identity, and identity is something the enemy loves to attack.

Absolution takes away the guilt.

Restoration takes away the shame.

Just as God has fully absolved you, He has also fully restored you. God has this unique ability to not just restore an item to what it was worth but to make it even more valuable.

If a group of artists can make a punched painting look brand-new through detailed restoration work, imagine the kind of work God can do through you! So stop listening to the enemy's lies that you are done because of what you have done. You are still God's chosen child!

Challenge:

1. Memorize Ephesians 2:10.
2. Start by writing it down three times.
3. Share this Bible Verse Image on Social Media using #ForgivingChallenge.