In 1974, my Mom bought an old beat up dresser at a yard sale. It had been painted four times. First white, then yellow, then black, and finally blue, and one of those colors was applied with spray-paint. The top of this dresser even had glitter and stars embedded in the paint, perfect for a little princess. It had nicks and dings in it, but somehow despite its horrid past and abuse, my Mom looked beyond all of its shortcomings and saw what this oak dresser would eventually look like when it was completely restored. It just needed a little love. Actually, a lot of love. Restoration became her focus. Her commitment to restoring that dresser shows how love and effort can transform something broken into something beautiful.
My Mom paid $10 for that dresser, which may not seem like a lot of money, but given inflation, that $10 in 1974 is equivalent to about $62 today. That was a lot of money for my parents at the time. When I was 9 years old, I remember her stripping the dresser in the front yard on a bright sunny day with this clear gel-like paste that irritated the eyes if you got too close (don’t ask). She had to do this outside because the smell was so bad, and after sitting for a while, it bubbled like it had blisters and boils all over it. Then she took this paint-scraper and scraped all of the paint/stripper sludge off of it. I felt bad for the dresser. Surely it had to be painful. She went through this process several times to remove all the layers of paint. Then she sanded it relentlessly. She first applied coarse sandpaper aggressively, eventually making her way down to finer sandpaper. The more she sanded the more beauty came out. I was 10 when it was completely restored. Just as my Mom saw beauty in that broken dresser, the Father sees beauty in you and works tirelessly to restore your heart.
Sometimes Life Punches Hard
Fair or not, life can punch hard. And it hurts, sometimes a lot. Life’s blows, like losing a job, facing a divorce, or grieving a child, can leave you breathless and broken. These issues are real and can feel like you have been unexpectedly hurt, taking your breath away, leaving you gasping. How does one survive such a blow, let alone recover? The Father’s love meets you in your pain, offering a path to healing through His gentle care.
Let me encourage you. The Father knows your pain, intimately so. He knows every hurtful word that has been spoken, every lie you have believed, every crushing blow you have received. Jesus offers restoration if we will just come to him.
His Son said:
The Father Sees The Completely Restored You
Like my Mom could see the beauty beneath all the years of wear and tear and abuse that this lonely dresser had gone through, so too, the Father sees the beauty that lies beneath the years of wear and tear, and perhaps even abuse, that you may have gone through. What you see are the scars and layers of pain and paint. You probably can’t envision what a restored you looks like. But God can. He sees what you look like after you are completely restored, even before the restoration process begins. The Father’s heart holds a vision of you whole and healed, ready to shine with His love.
You Can’t Rush Restoration
A doctor prescribes medicine to a patient so that patient will be restored to complete health. Complete restoration can take days, weeks, or even months for it to finish its course. Then again, it could occur in a moment. You can’t rush restoration, but God just might. Let us not forget that Jesus healed the woman with the issue of blood in an instant, (see Mark 5:25-34). My approach to healing is to ask God to heal me. If the healing does not happen right then and there, I keep asking. My confidence is in Him, because I know that only He can bring complete restoration. Trusting the Father’s timing allows His love to work deeply in your heart, bringing healing when you need it most.
I also find great comfort in knowing that the Father knows me so intimately, that his prescription for healing and restoration is second to none. If I allow him to restore me the way that he sees fit, I will be completely restored. If, however, I change his prescription for healing and restoration, I won’t be completely restored. The Father’s care is tailored to your heart, ensuring every step of restoration brings you closer to His vision for you.
The Father is Relentless
He is so committed to your restoration, nothing else. His only focus is on your complete restoration. That’s why he sent his Son, that we might be restored to the Father. The Father never gives up on you, working with love to heal every part of your broken heart.
What lies have others told you that you have believed about yourself? Has your understanding of who God is and his love for you become warped? Are there layers of pain that need to be removed? Will you trust Him to restore you? My hope is that in reading this article, you see just how relentless the Father’s heart is toward seeing you completely restored, and I encourage you to respond to his invitation, “Come to me”. He will restore you so that you may have life, and have it abundantly! (See John 10:10). Let the Father’s love strip away the pain, just as my Mom stripped away the paint, to reveal the beauty He always saw in you.
Closing Thoughts
The Father’s heart is set on restoring you, and He invites you to trust Him with your healing. Look for ways to show His love to others, and let your heart reflect His commitment to restoration every day.