Restoration Project

When we first moved into our house over twenty years ago, we needed to rip out all the carpets. I’m allergic to animal fur, and the previous owner had a big furry dog, so . . . over the years there have been plenty of restoration projects—painted and repainted walls, a deck becoming a screened in porch, even adding a little writing nook for me off our bedroom. We’ve invested time and money into restoration projects no one will ever see—like replacing the hot water heater, having work done on the interior of our chimney, and getting a new air conditioning unit.

The same is true with our journeys of soul restoration. When we first learn about Jesus and His deep, perfect love for us we’re often floored by His grace. And it changes something deep inside of us. When I first caught a glimpse of who Jesus really is, I felt like I was being vacuumed out, and then immediately refilled, flooded with warmth and love and acceptance. It wasn’t that different from ripping out that carpet and replacing it with new flooring before we moved into our house—instant, tangible; it made an immediate difference in life. But over the years, just like we find more home improvement projects, we find more soul restoration projects as well.

Jesus is currently suggesting the following restoration projects in my soul:

• Release resentment against someone

• Stop trying to control every single detail of my life

• Trust that Jesus loves my kids more than I do

• Let go of something that was good, somewhere God had led me, because now He’s told me it’s time to leave it behind, and Jesus always knows best

How about you? Any soul restoration projects in the works?

We might need to hand over worries or bad habits or old labels someone put on us that simply no longer apply. Not because Jesus demands these things from us—He’s not like that, but because Jesus lets us know we’d be happier, more peaceful, more fulfilled if we did.

Soul restoration is similar to home restoration. We can choose to do any of the potential projects or not. God always gives us free will. But our lives benefit if we put these restoration projects into action. We never have to do them alone. Jesus was a carpenter, remember? He’s got all the tools, knowledge, and experience we need to restore our souls.

When I listen to Jesus and step into His perfect plans it’s amazing the freedom and peace I feel. Not necessarily because I’ve achieved a major change or fixed something about my life, but because I’m walking in step with Him, and there is always security and joy on walks with our Savior, no matter how far we’ve come or how far we have to go.

Taking steps to restore my soul provides reprieve—like the comforting cool relief from the stifling August heat after we got our air conditioning fixed, or the delight I feel every time I walk into our kitchen and spy the walls we painted red, because red is my favorite.

Somedays it seems as soon as something in our home is put back in place, fixed, spruced up, something else needs attention. And that can be true with our souls too. But that doesn’t have to be overwhelming or discouraging.

The house our family lives in is our home. We bought it. No one can take it from us. And if we don’t do the restoration projects it’s still our home. If the dryer breaks, we might have to hang our clothes up to dry. We may never love the outdated tile in our upstairs bathroom, but we can still go about our daily lives here. The same is true with our souls. Once we tell Jesus we love Him, we want to follow Him, we want to spend our lives with Him, that’s a one and done. We’re His. No one, nothing can take us away from Jesus. Never. As Jesus says:

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27–28).

Jesus promises to keep us safe and that nothing can take us from Him.

The Lord is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters.

He restores my soul (Psalm 23:1–3a NKJV).

Jesus is our good shepherd. He will always restore our souls if we let Him. Jesus might lead us to still waters during those times when our lives feel dry or swirly. He might have us lie down in green pastures when we’re freaked out or out of control or feel depleted. But whether we do those soul restoration projects once, or never, or a hundred times we’re still His. He’s still our shepherd. And if we engage in soul restoration, He invites us in, things just keep getting better.

I don’t know where you are in your soul restoration. Maybe you’re working on a little sprucing up of this, adding some fresh paint over there, or planting some flowers to brighten things up. That could look like biting your tongue when your neighbor launches into the neighborhood gossip instead of joining in or making your screensaver a Bible verse that reminds you how loved you are. Or maybe you’re doing major work—like getting a new roof. This could be forgiving a major grudge you’ve carried for years or committing to reading your Bible daily. But I do know that Jesus keeps inviting us into lusher, greener pastures, and more clear thirst-quenching waters. Sure, we’re a work in progress, and we’ll need repairs every now and then, but we have a Savior named Jesus who lays down His life for us. Who gives us eternal life. Who, if we let Him, restores our very souls.

–Written by Laura L. Smith. Used by permission from the author.