God is not in the destruction business…Instead, God chooses to do the hard work of restoration.
I’ve been wondering about the property in the 7200 block of Tylersville Road for some time. Every time I drove east to drop off a kid at Hopewell Junior School, pick up groceries at the store, or cruise to Voice of America Park for a walk, I glanced at the dilapidated structures and overgrown yard on the north side of the street wondering what happened there.
Looking past the shattered windows of the house and gutters in disrepair, I imagined a time when the yard was overflowing with young children playing after gulping down BBQ at a summer picnic. Long before Tylersville Road was a bustling four-lane corridor, I envisioned family and friends burning away the hours relaxing and talking on the massive front porch. I could picture mountains of raked leaves, constructed snow forts, mechanical projects in the shed, and piles of freshly split firewood waiting to be stacked.
One afternoon last week, the house, the garage, the mature trees, and the yard were gone. With a few swipes of a massive, yellow excavator, the brick and mortar, along with all of the wood and glass, were leveled. Two days later, the whole pile of debris vanished. Now, a week later, the property is not only clear, but is graded and marked for whatever is coming next. There is no sign that a home or people were ever there. The destruction was swift and startling.
I couldn’t help but draw to mind the ways our sins bring similar destruction and havoc. At times, our selfishness and greed smash relationships and situations a little bit at a time. Because they aren’t maintained or repaired, connections begin to rot. On other occasions, our ruthless attitudes and behaviors are quick to bulldoze over anything that gets in our way. We want what we want when we want it.
Thankfully, God operates in a different way. God is not in the destruction business. God does not seek to destroy us and God isn’t on the prowl with intentions to annihilate us. Instead, God chooses to do the hard work of restoration.
Using a different image, a friend recently talked about the hard work of maintaining and caring for tarnished silver. Rather than naming the vessel as useless and tossing it in the garbage heap, one needs to see beyond the current condition and get busy polishing and drawing that item back to its intended state.
We see this pattern all throughout the Bible. It is visible in the renewal of creation (Isaiah 40:28-31), the restoration of Israel (Exodus 6:6-8), and the reconciliation that comes through Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). God is at work in the rebirth that happens in the waters of baptism (Titus 3:3-7), redeeming our lives from the grave (Psalm 103:1-5), and restoring our joy (Psalm 51:1-12)!
God could choose to give up on us, saying that we’re beyond repair. But that isn’t what God does. Instead, God uses our brokenness as a springboard into renewal and makes an investment in what is to come. God never pauses from the work of restoration and renewal.
I hope that this summer provides many occasions for renewal. Carve out time away from work and other responsibilities for rest and relaxation. Seek opportunities for fractured relationships to be repaired. Be open to conversations and experiences when you can hear God’s healing words. Even if you don’t, God will still be working. The time for restoration is now.
In the promises of Jesus,
Pastor Lowell
Restore in us, O God, the splendor of your love; renew your image in our hearts, and all our sins remove. Carl P. Daw Jr., b. 1944