Restoration

Overwhelmed is a word and world I am becoming faintly familiar with. Chaos has been creeping into the cracks of my life and leaves me screaming, "Slow Down!" Consistently confused, and I regret to admit, slightly depressed, I find it a struggle to sift through the layers of what is going on in my life. A lot of it has to do with transition out of college, into real life, having 2 jobs, shifting communities, and some other things far to personal to share on a blog. I find my self distracted. Loosing sight and focus of where I am and whom I'm called to, I find it quite easy to slip into frequent melt downs. Now to top it all off, I'm sick. What a week!

Seeking the Lord, I felt lead to read Ezra this morning. The story of the temple being rebuilt. It begins, "This goes to fulfill the words spoken by the prophet Jeremiah." So I turned to Jeremiah and began reading about struggle. Israel and Judah's struggle of whoredom, turning away from the Lord who loved them to worship the works of their own hands. They began to serve the gods of foreigners, so the Lord delivered them into exile to serve foreigners. The Lord lays out a list of destruction for the ways that he is going to lead Israel to ruin, but in chapter 5 there is a breath of hope. The Lord says "But I will not make a full end of you." This is a promise that the Lord will restore. The Lord then continues into a list of ways that he will restore Israel. And I realize that is the beauty of the Gospel. The Lord restores. He always tears down so that he can rebuild.

Right now, between being sick, a little depressed, and fairly overwhelmed, I am in ruin. As the temple, I have been brought down. So the Lord says, but I will restore. That is redemption. There is Hope!

Now is the time for transformation. To seek the Lord, to remember what he has called me to. He's called me to dwell in this season. To find myself at home with him. He has called me to belonging, to belong to him. But not to let those stop with me, but let it overflow that others may find a home and belonging through interacting with me. Anything I do outside of this is a little bit of rebellion in my own heart, striving to fulfill my need to do more. Be more, when the Lord has just called me to be and he will be the more.

I'm in process. Not all the way there yet, but I will be. I'm coming. The Lord is restoring me. The Gospel is that Christ came, as flesh, to put to death flesh so that we could rise to full life. I'm being brought into full life.

Question of the Day: How is the Lord transforming you.