From Rubbish To Restored

SLOW DOWN!!! My husband Tony shrieked as I drove down the street. I thought there was mortal danger ahead and nearly caused some myself, but no – he wanted to scan the yard sale we were passing.

And that’s why I don’t drive when he’s in the car. 

But this week, he was passing a house in lovely Franklin Lakes when he spotted an amp sitting at the curb. Being the master guitar player (and garbage picker – you didn’t hear that from me) that he is, he couldn’t resist. He stopped, and the owner told him that the amp was broken and Tony was free to take it. And being the master Mr. Fixit that he is, he did just that. He took it home and repaired it to work perfectly!

This is life with Tony.

Sometimes we feel like that amp – broken, useless, good for nothing but the garbage heap. At one time, we were new, clean and fresh, but life was hard. We might have been treated badly. Perhaps we were ignored or overlooked. Maybe we made some bad choices that hurt others or ourselves. And now we feel wounded or inadequate.

We feel like the amp out on the curb might feel – broken, defeated, alienated, separated from what could have been.

What we need is life with Jesus, the original Mr. Fixit. He takes our broken pieces and makes them like new.

Throughout Scripture, God restores His people, their health, their wealth, their hopes. He restored nations and order. He restored  “the crushed spirit of the humble and revived courage of  the repentant” (Is 57:15). He brought “sparkle to eyes” (Ps 13:3)

 Jesus comforted the alienated and the outcast. He healed the infirmed. He made people useful and vibrant again. And He still does this today. If we let Him.

 Will you let Him in today?  Will you enter into life with Jesus? Will you let Him into the broken recesses of your life?

How can I pray for you, beloved?

 “In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.” 1 Peter 5:10