Restoration...

As he approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard a crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." Then he shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Those who were in front sternly ordered him to be quiet; but he shouted even more loudly, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" Jesus stood still and ordered the man to be brought to him; and when he came near, he asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, let me see again." Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has saved you." Immediately he regained his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, praised God.
~ Luke 18:35 - 43

My morning began with a trip to a surgical center where a friend was about to have surgery. The procedure is not something major, but leading up to today has been filled with several doctor's appointments, time off work, and preparation. My friend will then be off work for a few weeks while recovering. It is a journey that should restore movement and remove pain. It is a story about restoration.

God's way of restoring us can take many forms. A cancer patient completes treatment and begins to live life again. An unemployed worker gets a second interview and is hired for a new position. A blind man along the side of the road acknowkedges Jesus and cries out to him, and has his eyesight restored. These are all forms of healing and restoration.

The hardest part for any of us is getting used to a "new normal," when life has changed. Even when the restoration is not back to where you had been, but where you are now.

Restoration really begins to take place when we are moved from one place, or condition, in our life, to where God brings us.

As someone once shared with me, "No one fully appreciates the light, until they have spent time in the dark."

May we all recognize when we have been restored.

Stay in God's grip!

​G. Todd Williams (c) 2018

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