The worst gift I ever loved…

I have a plant that just won’t die.

No matter how much I neglect it, forget to water it, it will LIVE.

A friend gave me this plant for my birthday a few years ago.

Giggling when she handed it to me, I said, ‘You realize that this will die in 3 days at my house. Plants do not survive around me.”

‘My sweet friend replied, “Jill, just water it every once in a while and it will live. I promise.”

Skeptically, I took the plant and I am being dead serious here, almost threw it in my big green outside garbage can when I arrived back home.

It isn’t that I did not love the thoughtfulness of my friend, but in that season of my life, I did not need one more thing to feed or water in my house!

Begrudgingly, I found a little spot for this plant in my mud room.

Every day, I walked by it. Almost rebelliously not watering it.

One day I came home and it was brown. The leaves were crunchy all around the base of the plant and had even scattered on the table it was on.

Smiling inside, I knew it. I knew it was not as easy as my friend had told me.

I sat there and stared at the dead plant.

Almost feeling sorry for the little fella, I put a little water in the soil.

I wanted to be truthful when I told my friend that I had did what she said, and lo and behold it still died.

The next morning as I was walking out the door on the way to carpool, I stopped dead in my tracks.

The little plant was coming back to life!

No way!

I was stunned.

About a week later, it was completely restored to life!

Restoration.

It’s a word I have been seeing over and over in scripture.

In fact, it is mentioned 136 times in the Bible.

It must be an important word.

King David was restored after his sin with Bathsheba.

Moses was restored back to his ministry and calling at 80 years old.

Sarah’s womb was restored and brought to life at 90 years old.

Paul was restored after he lost his eyesight on the road to Damascus.

Ruth was restored after her widowhood.

Jesus was restored to life after His death.

I could go on and on.

Isn’t salvation itself a restoration of the spirit? If we are made in God’s image, then isn’t salvation a return to our original design?

Restoration is miraculous.

And I have good news….it is not just stories in the Bible that people are restored…

Restoration is for US.

For you and for me.

For our children.

For our spouses.

For our friendships.

“What is impossible with man, is possible with God.” Luke 18:27

Is there something in your life right now that needs Restoration?

He restores marriages.

He restores children.

He restores families.

He restores relationships.

He restores health.

He restores reputations.

He restores hurtful words.

He restores JOY from depression.

He restores HOPE from despair.

He restores FAITH from unbelief.

He restores ALL.

I know, I know. It can be hard to believe that something seemingly dead could possibly be restored.

But, is it really that hard to believe?

Do we not serve a God that parts Red Seas, that moves mountains, that turns bushes into raging fire, that kills giants with a stone?

Why can He not restore your situation?

Just like my little plant, we need to water our spirits with His Word.

Daily, washing in Hope found in the pages of scripture.

He can and will do IMMEASURABLY more than we can think or imagine…Ephesians 3:20

But, we must be willing to be restored. We must believe. We must seek Him for this restoration.

He stands at the door, He knocks.

watering my little plant,

jill

“I will restore to you the years
that the swarming locust has eaten,
the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter,
my great army, which I sent among you.
“You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
and praise the name of the LORD your God,
who has dealt wondrously with you.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.” Joel 2:25-26

“And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.” Job 42:10

“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” 1 Peter 5:10