We are in the business of restoration. We buy old buildings (that are usually sitting empty) and we revitalize them. Most people drive by these dilapidated places and either ignore them or think. . . what a shame that place has gone to ruin. We on the other hand pull over, get out of the car and look around. We peer in the windows and instead of seeing broken and ugly—we see potential.

You know who else is in the business of restoration? God!

He doesn’t drive by broken, ruined people and keep on driving. Nope. He pulls over to the side of the road and gets out. He comes over and peers in our soul and he sees potential. He sees someone who can be redeemed.

We recently bought an old elementary school. (It’s our second school.) I actually made a couple videos if you want to check it out. See school here (Warning: my first videos ever.) This project will need a lot of work. A. Lot. Of. Work. The building has sat empty for decades. The windows are broken, the doors don’t shut, the walls are crumbling . . . I could go on and on. Everything needs attention. It needs a complete overhaul. Most people who see the building get a kind of wide-eyed look of panic. Like this is so much work, is it even possible?

I can relate to this building. How about you? Have you allowed fear to blow through and knock out your windows? Have anxiety and worry moved in and begun building nests, wreaking havoc in the corners of your mind? Has life taken its toll?

Yet, God does not just do a drive-by. Instead, he sees what we could be; how much value we have even in our state of brokenness.

What’s exciting about the restoration of anything, be it a building, art work, or people—is the transformation. We all love a makeover story. If we bought the school and did nothing with it; well, that wouldn’t be noteworthy. The exciting part, the part everyone wants to see is the change. Sanded floors, painted walls, a whole new layout is what gets us talking. Show me the before and after picture so I can see how far you have come in the renovation.

We are all in need of a renovation. Sometimes it’s just the wear and tear of daily life. A baby keeping you up at night or maybe a teenager. New responsibilities at work that are out of your skill set. Caring for an aging parent. You are tired and could use a new coat of paint, but there is no time. Or perhaps storms have been brewing and you’re starting to take on water. A hurting child, a floundering business or a crumbling marriage and all you can do is stick a bucket under the leak.

Then there are tornadoes, hurricanes and fires. Where life comes to a screeching halt and leaves you feeling gutted. Tragedies, abuses and losses have damaged us to a point that we feel we won’t recover. It will take more than some weekend projects to restore us. Our faith has storm damage. All our defenses are down and we aren’t sure where to start or if we even want to start.

Yet, God is not willing to drive by us and shake his head. The opposite in fact, He is tenderhearted and full of mercy. He is the Master Restorer. He invented redemption. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Jn 3:16 My husband and I get really excited when we see a cool old building that is in disrepair because we see the potential. God made you. He gifted you. He created you for a purpose. Your makeover through Him is meant to bring God glory. When we makeover an old building, we don’t say, look at what this building did? It fixed itself. No, we say look at what we did. We did all this work and now behold its beauty.

It is only through God that we can come into our full potential of who He made us to be. Then we can say, look at what God did in my life. I was broken and damaged and He fixed me. I could never do this outside of His power. The Lord not only patches the leaks, but puts on a whole new roof so the floods of despair do not overwhelm me. He chases away the vermin that nibble at my hope. He washes my windows so I can see the perfect view (of heaven) and he paints me in a fresh coat of joy. The Lord goes beyond just restoration and brings new life. Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. . . 2 Cor 5:17 God plants trees so I can have the fruits of the Spirit and become a person God can use for His good purpose. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters . . .her leaf shall be green . . . and shall not cease from yielding fruit. Jer 17:7-8

Our school will become a home, a dwelling where people can be protected from the elements. We will do our best to make it beautiful, not only on the outside, but mostly on the inside (where it counts). God wants us to be a space for other people to go and feel loved and protected. I want to have a heart for others, an ear to hear my brothers’ struggles and a tongue to speak encouragement and truth. We don’t want to fix up that school and have it sit empty. And God’s healing and restoration work is so I can, in turn, provide a place of comfort and peace (that is, Christ through me) to those in my life.

Restoration is a process!

So is the work God does in our hearts.

He restoreth my soul . . . Ps 23

Follow along as I hope to write more articles about restoration. As we move forward on our school building project I can’t help but think about the different stages of rehabbing our life and hearts. When redoing a physical space we need to clear out the junk that has rotted and accumulated, causing more problems the longer they sit. Like a mid-century building, we too, need restoration—but in our hearts—to manage the upkeep of our souls and to be useful to others. But before a developer or flipper can do any work on a building, they must first purchase the property.

Do you know you were bought at a great price? We got a great deal on our school building, but God paid the ultimate price. The life of His Son. He paid in blood to own the deed to your soul. He said you are worth everything to me. I don’t care how ruined and useless you feel, I will pay top dollar for you. God sent his Son to buy all the property rights so we would all have access to his care. He is the Master Restorer, the Ultimate Caregiver and He can rebuild and repurpose your life like no one else. His services are available to all who ask. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Mt 11:28

Unlike a building on the side of the road, we must answer the knock on the door and say yes, come in and then everything will be transformed.