Restoration

When we moved into our house, we loved everything about it. From the loft we called the 'grownup's playroom' to the kitchen layout, to the size of the rooms, and the numerous trees outside. The one thing that was lacking was the backyard. No fence, a deck that doubled as a trampoline (and rat's nest, we'd later learn)and was trapped in a fenced side yard the size of a VW bug, and the yard as a whole was sort of skinny, due to the angle of our lot.

We quickly opened up the tiny yard into the bigger and made a huge difference. Finally, we got a fence up that gave the kids and the dog a place to play. And when Kristin stepped on a rusty nail, right after Leslie stepped on the same nail, the bouncy decrepit deck came out.

What we were left with was dirt. Uneven dirt, that flooded. And we had this mud-maker for at least a year. It was time to restore.

So, for the last few days, we've been turning the mess into something to enjoy- a hardscape with crushed granite and flagstone steeping stones. What was once very embarassing, is now something that when finished Saturday, will be a proud beauty to show off.

When Christ comes to us, we too are often not being used to our full potential. Our lives are left wide open for all sorts of intruders to come and make a den in. The spaces of our heart are filled with springboard decks and rotten wood. When we do remove that stuff, we leave it barren for far too long, and a different kind of mess develops. It is only when we get serious, look deep at the problem and long for the true solution that our heart can be restored. Change must come for there to be restoration, the old must go.

We couldn't reuse the old materials in our yard, and we can't reuse the same old things that have gotten us through before- we must turn to the New Creation. Christ must remove and replace the broken things in us. He must renovate our heart.

He must:
"Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me"
-Psalm 51:12