“ restore…the years that the locust have eaten.” Joel 2:25
“Behold, I make all things new.” Rev. 21:5
There is a special weekend getaway that my husband and I like to frequent. It’s an old Victorian home that has been restored to its original condition and turned into a lovely bed and breakfast. We honeymooned there years ago and ever since then it has held a place in our hearts.
The moment you step through the front door you are transported back in time. I delight in walking across creaking floors, opening heavy wooden doors with their brass doorknobs and keyholes, and feasting on colorful wallpaper and stained glass windows that dance in a kaleidoscope of colors.
All twenty-two rooms have been restored to their original condition.
While doing a Bible study with my teenage daughter and her girlfriend, I was reminded through some of their questions, of just how my life was at their age, before Jesus. Though my Lord could see the beauty in me, I had allowed sin to tear down the colorful wallpaper of my heart, I allowed others to vandalize those things dearest to me and to Him. Many doors I slammed shut and locked, hoping that none would ever venture to peek inside.
Teenage girls and even adult women can fall into the trap of believing that our mistakes and poor choices will keep our lives from being beautiful again. We believe the whispers that tell us; we can never take away the marks left behind by the dark mistakes we have made.
Lies, all lies.
Jesus can “ restore…the years that the locust have eaten.” Joel 2:25 He loves to do the impossible. “Behold, I make all things new.” Rev. 21:5 I know His word to be true because I have seen it happen in my own life.
Jesus is the great restorer of beauty. He takes what was once dirty, defiled, and shameful and creates in us a clean, pure, dwelling place for His grace-filled royal elegance. He removes the filth we’ve walked through and restores us to clean and priceless brilliance that can now stand before him, the King of Kings.
I find great joy in entering a building that’s been restored to its most beautiful condition. I find the same joy in watching women of all ages, come to know the great restorer of their souls. Jesus Christ lives and reigns to bring each one of our hearts to a restored condition that’s more than you can ever imagine.
Maybe it’s time you invited Him in to work on yours?
Lord, thank you that you make all things new. Help me to see that you are a God that doesn’t expect perfection, only a willing heart. Forgive me for trying to fix things myself. I give you the hammer and nails Lord, change me from the inside out. Make me new again. Restore my soul.
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