Restoration

Have you ever restored an old piece of furniture?

Stripping down of the old.

The old has to be removed for the new to come. One of the firsts step in furniture restoration is stripping the old finish away to make room for new stain. The stripping away is messy, its hard and it gets frustrating. The more layer of old paint and baggage the tougher the stripping formula.

With pride and stubbornness this can be hard, long process or we can trust God completeness to allow Him to show us the areas where we need change and stripping away to take place in our heart, minds and lives.

Sanding the rough edges

Finishes can develop scratches and cracks that can dull the surface of the wood. The easiest way to repair the finish is through a process known as reamalgamation, which uses a solvent applied directly to buff out and sand down the imperfections.

We all have our rough edges and imperfections. those rough parts of us can emerge when we least expect them. Our tough day can turn into a harsh looks or reactions. We say something we didn’t mean to. We get angry about how someone else reacts and we turn cold for a while. I believe God can sand those scratches out of us. It may not be pleasant, but I think that many of us are on our way to be beautifully polished pieces because of our Creator’s craftsmanship.

Oiling the dry, weathered areas which require attention.

It’s a fact of life that things tend to get dry and crackly in the winter: your skin, your lips, even your wooden furniture.

How can we help in the restoration process of one another?

Isn’t one of the reasons that we are afraid to admit to the presence of sin in our lives because we are worried about how others will respond to us? Here is your biblical mandate and proof that the church is to seek your restoration, not your damnation.

Let’s pray for one another, help on another, show love, kindness and gentleness. Restoration Should Be Done Gently and With Personal Caution.

Much like Job in the Bible when he faced great loss and calamity. In one day, Job lost his 10 children along with all his possessions and wealth. Shortly after, he was afflicted with a horrible skin disease. (Read chapters 1-2 in the book of Job to get the full story.)

Job didn’t understand why he had to suffer so much. So, throughout the book of Job, we see him expressing heartache and anger at the pain and suffering God was allowing. We also see evidence of his impatience regarding how long it was taking God to bring about restoration.

Yet through it all — and despite his human emotions — Job never doubted that full surrender and trust was necessary. In Job 1:21b he even says, “The LORD gave me what I had, and the LORD has taken it away. Praise the name of the LORD!” Despite his suffering, he trusted God’s will for his life and continued to praise Him. As a result, not only did Job’s faith soar, but his life did as well. Eventually in Job 42, we read how God blessed Job and his faithfulness in every way.

God gave Job a double portion of all he’d lost, restored his marriage and many relationships, gave him a new household of children and allowed him to live happily to a ripe old age.