The Redeemer

by Rhonda, August 18, 2024


Downsizing from a house to an apartment is challenging.  I am still adjusting to my downsized life and I have thrown away so many things.  My kitchen is smaller.  My closet is smaller.  I am still working my way through this move, trying to get everything to fit in my new place.  I brought several boxes from my old kitchen into my apartment, and I went through cake pans that I'd collected over the years.  Many of them I haven't touched in possibly a decade!  As I went through them, I filled two trash cans full of cake pans and other kitchen supplies that I can't use anymore (nor do I have room for).  Some of them were actually rusty, and not even fit for donation.

It was time to throw them away.

I went through a similar exercise with my clothes.  I have some old clothes that I haven't gotten rid of for whatever reason.  They may have holes in them, or possibly even stained.  But, holding onto things like this is no longer possible in this little apartment.  So, I did what I needed to do.

I threw them away.

God has led my heart to accept it, though, and I actually welcome it now.  A simpler life frees me up for so many more things, and while I'm still in transition, I am enjoying life with fewer things.  Life is easier when you throw away things that no longer serve your purpose.

Perhaps that's what makes God so amazing.  I'm making my way through Judges in the Bible.  As I read some of the stories, I ask myself, God why would you ever want to save us?  We stopped serving your purpose a long time ago.  Humanity is so cruel, and so depraved.  Its been that way since Biblical times.

God could have looked at the earth and the humans He created, and decided to start over.  Time to throw it all away and start anew.  He has the power to do it, yet He doesn't.  Instead He sacrifices his only Son to save it.  I watch the news today full of anger and hate, and simultaneously I'm reading the old testament, full of depravity, and know I wouldn't have made the same call.  I think I'd have tossed the entire creation into the trash bin.  Chalk it up as a failure, and move on.

Its a good thing I'm not God.  He has a different view. 

Joel 2:25-26 I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you. “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame.

It turns out God likes words that start with "re"God's entire plan for humanity and creation is to restore, redeem, and resurrect it.  We will have the opportunity to live the life we were meant to live all along, in the presence of the One who created us.  

Restore:  I go through various stages of obsessive hobbies.  For a while, I was obsessed with restoring furniture.  I would look for old furniture, sometimes antiques, and I would study how to restore it back to its original condition.  Sometimes I would find my treasures being discarded on the side of the street, or given away at garage sales.  I liked stripping off years of dried, crusty paint to reveal a beautiful piece of wood furniture underneath.  Then I would sand away all of the scratches in the wood.  

Restoration simply meant fixing everything that was broken and removing the years of dirt, paint, and damage to reveal what was truly underneath.  I tried to imagine creating the original piece of furniture years ago, and the beauty of it when it was brand new.  I always wanted to bring it back to the original beauty.

God says he will restore us.  All of the damage done by living in a broken world will someday be removed.  God doesn't say He will recreate us or start all over.  He will restore what's already there, buried under years of pain, rejection, heartache, and suffering.  

1 Peter 5:10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you.

God doesn't give up on his creation.  His story is one of preserving his creation.  Protecting his creation.  Restoring his creation.

After years of traumatic events, including my divorce, I found myself lost.  I was so buried underneath the pain and rejection of it all.  I was angry all of the time (still gets the best of me sometimes), and I had become someone I didn't like anymore.  I was like a wounded animal, lashing out at anyone who was brave enough to try to get close to me.  

I needed God to restore me.  I didn't know what happened, but I had morphed so far away from what I wanted to be, and what He created me to be.  I'm sure I'm still a long ways from my original design, but the realization that I didn't have to ask God to make me into a new person was a big deal to me.  I just needed God to take me back to who I truly was, because that was valuable enough for God to fashion with His own hands.  My personality, my kindness and caring, and even my sense of humor were part of my original design.  I wasn't a bad person.  I had simply lost it buried under years of dirt.  I needed my Savior to restore me.  I still need it.  Every day of my life.

I wonder about heaven.  It must feel so incredible to be completely restored once and for all.  

Redeem:  The definition of redeem is to "gain or regain possession of (something) in exchange for payment".  I can certainly understand the joy of restoration.  It is work, but it is also rewarding to take something back to its original purpose.  But, to pay a large price for something that is worn, damaged, and in desperate need of repair?  I go back to my original question while reading through Judges.  

Why, when you can just make another?

After all of the mocking and the betrayal by humankind, why on earth would God want to redeem us?  There is only one answer for something that seems so senseless.  

Love.  Radical love that remains regardless of our betrayals.  Love that never stops seeking us.  Love that defies logic and is so pure in its design that we struggle to believe it.  Nothing could be so good, at least not based on our experience.  Yet, it is the only possible explanation for such a decision.  

Psalm 111:9 He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name!

Why would God want to not only restore me, but pay a high price for me?  I'm buried in years of paint and dirt, and I am often so broken I cannot even fulfill my original purpose.  If I was a table, I would probably be missing a leg and the other three would be questionable.  Yet, He would give his very Son as a price, who is perfect?

I am not sure, on this side of heaven, that we can fully understand the amount of love it would take to put such a sequence of events in place.  But, I am going to spend my life trying.  Its a worthy pursuit, because when someone as powerful as the Creator of the universe sees value in you, a strange thing happens.  You start to see value in yourself.  Love like this is life-changing.  

Redemption changes everything.  It was part of His plan all along.

Resurrect:      

Not only does God's story include restoration and redemption, but His plans also include living with us for eternity.  After our earthly death, God will breathe new life into us.  We will get to live restored, redeemed, and resurrected. 

He will restore not only us, but all of creation back to its original intention.  I like to let my imagination run wild in this area.  What will life be like with animals?  What was our interaction with them meant to be like?  Will there be spiders?  Will bugs be colorful on a resurrected earth?  Will there be new sounds, new colors, that we've never experienced?

What will life feel like when each day is spent doing work I was designed to do?  What will live be like without anxiety, depression, and sadness?  Can you even imagine it!  

The most exciting part of all of this is that each and every day, we will get to be in the presence of the One who created us.  Every day we will know the love of God firsthand.  We will be completely healed by His love, and our minds will be absolutely peaceful.  

There are times I just long for it.  When the days get long and my stress is out of control, I can't help but look forward to the grand finale of God's plan for my life.  Yes, I'm excited for heaven, but I'm most excited for Him.  To be able to finally be with the One who designed me, with all of my individual traits.  He is full of love, and the day will come that we get to be with Him for all of eternity.

What an incredible plan for humanity.

The Intention

by Rhonda, August 06, 2024



He spoke slowly and methodically.  English was his second language, so it wasn't easy for him to convey all of his emotions while translating at the same time.  He was from Sierra Leone, and he told stories of war, disease, and unthinkable cruelty upon invasion of rebel forces.  He lost twelve of his family members in one night when their city was overtaken.

Once called the "forgotten continent", Africa has persevered through the most frightening of realities.  I was completely absorbed by the story of his life.  He was a pastor of a Christian church in Sierra Leone.  He talked about the horrors of Ebola.  He told us about how he walks past a mass grave containing twelve of his family members, murdered for no reason.  He sadly recalled the assaults on the women in his city, and how he's working to change the culture from women are seen to women are heard.

During the invasion of his city, he stayed to minister and be with his people while the remainder of his family fled for safety.  Every day was uncertain.  Rebel forces would not be kind to a Christian pastor.  Would he live, or would he die?

I wondered if I would be so obedient.  I don't know. 

While sitting in our church, sharing his story, he mentioned he was anxious to return home.  

"I want to help my people, and I miss them." he said with a slight smile.  

The luxuries of America didn't tempt him.  He knew his calling.  "Wickedness is temporary," he said.  "What is lasting is Jesus."

After the service was over, I wanted to find him.  I wanted to tell him that his story mattered to me, and that I needed to hear about his faith.  I wasn't even sure why, but my soul needed it this week and tears stung my eyes as I listened to him talk.  I needed to be reminded about a God who is faithful, regardless of our circumstances.    

I had to stand in line to talk to him.  As I waited, I thought about how many celebrities we would stand in line to talk to, yet very few people were in line to talk to this hero of the faith.  

Finally, my turn came.  "Thank you for coming here to see us," I said.  "And thank you for sharing your story.  You are a warrior for Christ."

He nodded kindly.  "I am leaving America so encouraged."

I was glad I mustered up the courage to share my gratitude.  It was the least I could do.  As we walked away, my son said, "He reminds me of Paul in the Bible,".  

I learned a lot from this great man from Africa today.  His lessons around how to persevere through stressful situations really hit home for me.  While I haven't experienced nearly the horrors he's lived through, the daily battles against fear and the strongholds of trauma are also real in my life.  

From Fear to Faith:  In the midst of a dark and broken world, prayer is an exercise of faith and a weapon against fear.  I can recall the first few months of being on my own after my ex-husband and I separated.  I'd never known fear like it came for me during that time.  I felt like I couldn't breathe, and it threatened to overtake me.  When we are deep in the grip of fear, life can feel hopeless.

But, God's power in us helps us to overcome fear.  When we fear, we need to go to God with our prayers.  We can be very intentional with our prayers.  There's nothing wrong with asking God for a new house, a car, or a promotion.  But something happens when we are intentional with our relationship with God.  Things feel different when we pray God I want to conquer this fear by knowing you more.  I want to read my Bible not for what I can get out of it, but because I want to know you.  Open my eyes to see people the way you see them.  Teach me who you are.

During those tumultuous years of my life, my world was so upside-down that I didn't trust myself to make good decisions.  My confidence was shot, and I wasn't even sure if I could lead myself and my kids out of this gigantic mess.  I remember being so tired of questioning myself and worrying about whether I was right or wrong.  I asked God, Just teach me your ways, Lord.  I'm tired of mine.  I'm tired of wondering if I'm doing things right or not.  Your ways are always the right ways, so please just teach me Your ways.

In times of great stress, be intentional with prayer and desire God more than ever.  

From Noise to Silence:  The devil brings noise, chaos and confusion.  When I was hurt deeply through my divorce, sometimes the anger was so loud in my ears I could barely hear anything else.  My flesh was screaming for revenge.  My mind meditated on the confusion, trying to make sense of it all.  What should I do?  What is the next move?

Be still and see what God is doing.

In times of great stress, the distractions are overwhelming.  When we're distracted, Christ isn't at the center anymore.  Our center moves from one thing to the next, focusing on an area that needs attention until another problem surfaces.  It creates instability, and we feel like we're adrift at sea, floating from one big wave to another.  Emotions rise and fall, and we're along for the ride just trying to hang on.  

But, we can be still.  

We can make Christ the center, our One and Only, the Lord of our life.  It doesn't mean things won't become difficult, but we don't have to be at the mercy of those waves any longer.  Christ stands above all problems, above all waves in our lives.  He walked on water, after all, on the same waves that would drown you or I.  

From Envy to Contentment:  Envy is simply wanting what someone else has.  Maybe you wish your marriage was like theirs.  They have a nice house.  A better car.  Maybe they're more attractive.  They receive more love than you.  They're never rejected.  They always land on their feet, no matter the situation.

Whatever it is, envy is the pain of wanting what someone else has.  Envy is multiplied in times of great stress, because our joy is already under attack.  But, when you really think about it, envy is truly wanting what you feel you lack.  No one wants a new vacuum if they already have one (I'll be honest, I never want a new vacuum).  No one wants a new toothbrush when they have twelve at home.  We want what we don't have.

Or more precisely, what we don't think we have.

God can fill any void and in face, God is the only true solution to the voids in our life.  When we perceive life knowing God fulfills our needs, we can move from envy to contentment.  We don't have to look at the world, trying to figure out how it will fill our needs.   Our neighbor with the new car doesn't stir jealousy, because we don't need a new car to compete (or whatever the reason).  In fact, we may drive our old car because its affordable.  I mean, who are they to judge our old car?  Hypothetically?

A life of contentment is a life of peace.  Not wanting or needing what others have is a form of spiritual freedom, and frees us from the stress of needing to compete.  

Psalm 37:4  Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Remember, in the most dire of all circumstances, be intentional in seeking Jesus.  He will carry you through. 

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