RESTORATION

Several years ago, at my home church, I heard a sermon that I thought I would never forget.  In my mind, I called it the 3 R’s.  Well, a lot of years have passed and I can only remember two of the 3 R’s from that sermon (repent & restore).  The thing I liked about it the most was the “restore” part. 

Then, the year my oldest child graduated from high school, I had the opportunity to travel an hour and be a part of a service that Pastor Jim Cymbala (Pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle – perhaps better known for their award winning choir).  I didn’t know about the choir but had been introduced to his writing by a book club (you know the kind they send you so many books a months and you have so much time to send back the ones you don’t want – and of course I was never quick enough). 

I had run out of interesting things to read and found his book on my shelf and read it.  In the end,  I read all of his books.  His writing style resonates with me somehow.  But, I digress…on the evening in question, he indicated that the sermon he was going to share with us wasn’t the initial one he had in mind but the Holy Spirit had pressed upon him to go with; “God Can Restore The Stolen” (see 1Samuel 30: 1-20).

The understanding I got from all of the above is that – God can fix broken situations.

As I’ve mentioned before, I have been blessed with special friends (please know I’m not bragging; I’m praising).  I have a very special friend that I met on the job.

This lady extended me friendship, care and concern when she really didn’t know me very well.  She’s listened to my woes, laughed at the unbelievable, shared the Word of God with me; shared her woes (it takes a lot for folks to share their hurts with others); she’s shared her successes with me; she tried to teach me the language (Spanish) and discontinued my lessons for my own safety (apparently I really mispronounced something); and she’s even the one that introduced me to the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir – smile. 

When her child reached the point in development where all parents wait with baited breath to see if said child will turn the corner into adulthood in the manner one prays for; she entrusted her worries with me.  Together we walked around the issues, fretted and prayed because like most young people; “our” child left the path of home training…”our” child was stolen.

Have you ever witnessed the heartbreak of a mother?  I’ve never seen a more fierce love than a mother’s love and by the same token, I’ve never seen such soul wrenching heartbreak.  If you’re a mother (I’m not saying this isn’t true for fathers – but I really want to address the mother perspective), I know you’ve had at least one night of crying yourself to sleep over your child (come on now – ya’ll give me one – I’m sure it’s been more but …).

Here is this kid that has often surprised you with their depth of understanding and expression of their views; made you feel so proud you could just bust into small pieces; find yourself bragging because you just like your kid and look forward to seeing what new things they have to share.  Here is this kid that makes you think you’re really good at parenting only to break you down to conceding you don’t know much about it at all!       

Here is this kid that you nurtured before and after birth; I mean held to your breast; patched bloodied and scrapped body parts; held in your arms during the early hours of their first heart break; built up their self esteem; and broke it down when they got too big for their britches!  Here is this kid that you sacrificed for on many levels even putting your own health (physical &emotional) at risk to meet a perceived need (sometimes real and sometimes not); and busted up on the scene in defense of & ready to do bodily harm (I know I’m not the only one that has had to ummm…. offer physical ramifications to those I thought was messing over my kids) on behalf of said child. 

And you finally get to what you thought was going to be the good part; watching your master piece child launched off in the world to do great and good things; and that sucker takes every turn you have spent your life’s energy trying to keep them from taking!

I watched my friend try and manage her broken heartedness.  I watched her walk the halls, hug herself, search the scriptures; pray; ask others to pray with her and for “our” child; I watched her cry… and I even cried with her.

There were days we really struggled over some choices she was facing.  We fussed over the scriptures.  We struggle with anxiety, sadness, depression, and our grief.

 

These circumstances existed for a while.  We discussed intercessory prayer.  I eventually wrote a prayer and gave it to her and encouraged her to have all the others she’d asked to pray about it to join us in the prayer.  For real now, by the 30^th day, things changed in “our” child’s life. 

The biggest concern we had rolled up & away and out!

“Our” child joined the military; struggled through basics but made it and finished up in the training course with honors.  “Our” child’s first duty station will be Germany in a non-deployable position. 

And while all of that was very sweet; the sweetest thing was this:  “Our” child came home to surprise my friend; arriving in the middle of the night way after her bedtime – which of course was taped.  I rated a viewing of the tape and let me tell you what I saw:  I saw a mother embrace her child with tears of joys streaming down her face (much the way I believe the father of the prodigal son did upon his child’s return; see Luke 15: 11-32).  I am the witness; I saw restoration.   

God restored the mind and the relationship to the right state.