My uncle is a wood craftsman. His specialty is custom speakers, but he has also taken interest in restoring old furniture. My uncle and his four sisters learned wood working skills from their dad. He had every tool and machine you could imagine, and I think they saw him build just about every type of furniture under the sun.
A few years ago, my uncle found a beautiful rocking chair in need of restoration. He saw potential, and he even had the right person to give it to upon completion. He took it home and began the lengthy process of bringing it back to life. The entire chair needed to come apart piece by piece. There was leather and stitching on the seat; he took that off, too. Every single piece of wood was reworked or replaced, sanded, and re-stained. The leather and stitching were re-sewn.
When I think of God's restoration in my life, this is the process I envision. It isn't a finger-snap transformation – it’s tedious, time consuming, and the kind of thing that incurs blood, sweat, and tears.
There are times in my life when I don't recognize the work God is doing in me. There are times when it feels like chaos or distress (fear and doubt, as I watched the lives of loved ones crumble around me, or hearing the devil whisper lies in my ear). Times it feels like shame and evading (pride, as I chose to medicate my own insecurities and depression in the unhealthiest ways). Sometimes I can see after the fact how much I have changed in a particular area of my life, and it is only by the grace and divine work of Jesus, literally saving me from my own foolish choices. And then there are the times when I am at the foot of the cross, laying things at His feet, weeping and begging for restoration.
My life, my walk with Him, isn't perfect, and it never will be – I am human. But God takes pieces of my life apart sometimes and puts them back together better than they were before – what a fine craftsman. Have I always seen and understood what has been happening? No. Do I want to be whole and perfect? Sure, but then I wouldn't need my relationship with God.
This is my restoration, my identity: I can't fix me. I am not in control. I can't move forward on my own. But Jesus can heal my wounds. He restores me when I choose Him.
2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “But he said to me ‘My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness.’” How beautiful, how amazing, that in my darkest moments, His grace is sufficient. It is exactly what I need, and my weaknesses make His power perfect. I am restored when I choose Jesus.
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My uncle is a wood craftsman. His specialty is custom speakers, but he has also taken interest in restoring old furniture. My uncle and his four sisters learned wood working skills from their dad. He had every tool and machine you could imagine, and I think they saw him build just about every type of furniture under the sun.
A few years ago, my uncle found a beautiful rocking chair in need of restoration. He saw potential, and he even had the right person to give it to upon completion. He took it home and began the lengthy process of bringing it back to life. The entire chair needed to come apart piece by piece. There was leather and stitching on the seat; he took that off, too. Every single piece of wood was reworked or replaced, sanded, and re-stained. The leather and stitching were re-sewn.
When I think of God's restoration in my life, this is the process I envision. It isn't a finger-snap transformation – it’s tedious, time consuming, and the kind of thing that incurs blood, sweat, and tears.
There are times in my life when I don't recognize the work God is doing in me. There are times when it feels like chaos or distress (fear and doubt, as I watched the lives of loved ones crumble around me, or hearing the devil whisper lies in my ear). Times it feels like shame and evading (pride, as I chose to medicate my own insecurities and depression in the unhealthiest ways). Sometimes I can see after the fact how much I have changed in a particular area of my life, and it is only by the grace and divine work of Jesus, literally saving me from my own foolish choices. And then there are the times when I am at the foot of the cross, laying things at His feet, weeping and begging for restoration.
My life, my walk with Him, isn't perfect, and it never will be – I am human. But God takes pieces of my life apart sometimes and puts them back together better than they were before – what a fine craftsman. Have I always seen and understood what has been happening? No. Do I want to be whole and perfect? Sure, but then I wouldn't need my relationship with God.
This is my restoration, my identity: I can't fix me. I am not in control. I can't move forward on my own. But Jesus can heal my wounds. He restores me when I choose Him.
2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “But he said to me ‘My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness.’” How beautiful, how amazing, that in my darkest moments, His grace is sufficient. It is exactly what I need, and my weaknesses make His power perfect. I am restored when I choose Jesus.
Written by
ACF Volunteer Staff
Eagle River Campus
16620 Brooks Loop
Eagle River, AK 99577
NE Anchorage Campus
Regal Tikahtnu
1102 N Muldoon Rd B
Anchorage, AK 99504
