An antique table sat in the darkened corner deep within the attic of an old, decrepit home until one day it was discovered by someone who had an eye for natural beauty and a craftsman’s hand. As the master carpenter brought the table into the light, he noticed the deep scars of neglect as well as the worn and faded stain that once made it look priceless. To the average eye, this table didn’t appear to be of any value to anyone. Yet the master carpenter knew that the real value of the table was priceless. He tenderly loaded the table bringing it home with him while being mindful of its frail and weak frame. His intent was to begin the intentional process of restoration.
We are too often like this antique table. We have experienced the deepest and darkest wounds of emotional pain, doubt, sin, and brokenness. We experience feelings of being forgotten, worthlessness, or even self-hatred. When anyone looks our way, we believe that all they can see are the scars left by the pains of the past. We fear that they see the weary and worn-out desperation that we feel.
But God, who is faithful and good, merciful, and full of grace, sees the real value of His son and daughter. He draws us back to himself with His Spirit and begins the process of intentional restoration. What we have neglected, our relationship with Him, He masterfully works to restore fulfilling His promise to finish the work that He has begun in us. We are pliable clay in the masterful hands of the Potter. He is crafting and restoring a marvelous, priceless work. He renews our minds with His tender instruction, opens our eyes to His power and might, stirs our hearts with conviction and commitment. All the while, we are being transformed, we are being renewed, we are being restored to an identity, a walk, a life, that is abundantly full in our love for Him and His love for us.
Too often we allow the hurts of the past, the hopes of tomorrow, and the pressures of conformity to be our sole source of identity. Life is hard. Its hardships tend to wear on us, causing depression, guilt, shame, anger, fear, hopelessness . . . Brokenness. We then see ourselves in the light of that brokenness where we tend to look scarred up, useless, and worn out. But we are not to believe those lies. In the eyes of our Heavenly Father, we are not useless nor worn out, we are priceless. In his hands, we are a masterpiece and are to walk restored.
3 Ways to Walk Restored
Believing that God is a God of restoration.
God is the master carpenter. He is the potter. We are the objects of His affection, and he has promised us to finish the work that he has begun in our lives. We are not the master craftsman which leaves us blind to what the finished product of our lives will look like. We can’t take matters into our own hands, in doing so, we will damage the work He has begun, instead, we must believe that He is a God of restoration, and He will finish that work.
Believing that You are an object of God’s love.
Often, we don’t believe that God loves us. We don’t feel worthy of His love, and we don’t feel that we deserve His attention. That is why I love the book of Song of Solomon. In that book, we are told “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.” These are powerful words that remind us that you and I are an object of God’s love regardless of how we feel about life.
Believing that God’s Word is the source of life for us.
Don’t try to work things out on your own, we must have a manual or guidebook to help us. We are like blind men stumbling around in the dark because we can’t see what to do to “fix” the problems in our life. We don’t have to be like that, God has given us His Word which is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Take the time to study what God’s word says about your struggles and be a faithful doer of His Word. This brings life to our brokenness.
• Clay Gill is the Executive Director at Cord of Three. He is also a licensed professional counselor.
