The house that burnt down

One of my most vivid childhood memories is of a house close to ours that burnt down.

One day it was there.
One night it burned.

The next day all that was left was a smouldering, smoking shell of a house.

From a home to a burnt down house.

I remember my childlike fascination with the house that burnt down. I rode my bike past it as often as possible. The horror of it fascinated the 10 year old boy in me.

Over the months that followed, I watched it being rebuilt and restored. It seemed to take forever. Then – suddenly – one day there it was! Brand new!

Rebuilt and restored. Better than before.

At times our lives can feel like that house. Fires happen. 
Calamities come. 
Tragedy strikes. 
Areas of our lives turn to ash. 
We look around and all thats left is a soldering, smoking shell of what once was.

It’s at moments like these that I have to remind myself that God is deeply interested in our restoration.

Restoration is a significantly recurring theme in Scripture. It’s a central part of what God does. And, it’s a core part of who He is. He is a restoring God.

In the book of Job in Scripture, we see that God restored Job’s life. He did so because Job did two things:
1. He maintained his integrity.
2. He maintained his connection with God (even in the midst of big, scary questions). 

Today I choose to remind myself that God can restore anything.

Finance.
Marriage.
Relationships.
Health.

For my part, I will focus on my integrity and my connection to God.

The house that burnt down rose from the ashes. It emerged – rebuilt and restored. Better than before.

We can, too.