Yesterday I had lunch with three dear friends who have taken me into their “group” and made me feel welcome. (That’s not the point of this post, but it’s important to me to acknowledge that they are amazing!) We ate at a quaint little restaurant named Kelly Jae’s (some of the best guacamole I’ve had in years). Not only was the food good, but I was mesmerized by the “urban” look of the decor. Their website says it best: “Hardwood floors, brick walls and an original tin ceiling lend an urban feel and set the stage for a stunning dining experience.” It had boatloads of character, and I kind of want to take a cot with me next time and just live there!

One of my lunch companions shared with us that when she was a teenager, she worked at a dress shop that was once located in that very room. As she described her place of employment from those days, she mentioned that the brick walls had been covered by sheet rock and painted a plain, neutral color at that time. The now-black, ornate tin ceiling had apparently been a light color as well.

But at some point, the ceiling was painted a dark color, and the walls were restored to the original brick. As we looked more closely, we noticed that the wall had large cracks that had been filled, but we commented on how the flaws in the restoration were actually something that added not only to the visual interest but also to the strength and character of the wall. In other words, the restoration process added to its beauty and its value.

Something in the word restoration gripped my mind and wouldn’t let go. It really is an amazing thought. In Scripture, it’s contained in a rather familiar phrase from a commonly recited chapter: “He restores my soul” (Psalm 23:3, ESV). In fact, the word restore, or some form of it, appears several times throughout the Bible. As I found myself reading these verses and wiping the tears from my cheeks, I realized that there seemed to be a theme that was in place, and I came up with this “restoration principle”: When there is a loss (of any kind and at any level), restoration comes from a blending of that which was lost with something that will create an even stronger, more durable version of the lost element.

Let me give a few illustrations to help explain:

Think about a job loss. Sometimes a new job just doesn’t come right away (been there, done that). But restoration can and will come, even though it may take a different form. The lost job prepared us for the next thing on our path…even if that “next thing” is waiting. The waiting blends with the loss to stir in us a desire to follow our passion, use our skills, and seek the best possible place for that to happen (while we get paid for it). In situations like this, the restoration principle can encourage us to know that we will be stronger and more capable than we may have been without having walked this “detour.”

But this illustration takes it one step further, leaving us with the principle of restorative love: When love is lost (through death, divorce, a change of heart on one person’s behalf, etc.), people often try to fill the “hole” with unlike elements: a sudden compulsion to work longer hours, food, shallow dating, spending money they may or may not have to spend, etc. But these surface elements will not bring true restoration to the soul. For that to happen, the “retrievable” positive elements from the lost love must be blended with the lessons learned through the loss and the hurt, the reshaped hopes and dreams, the elements of time and patience, and the willingness to accept the joy of loving again. As a faith-based blogger, I must also point out that this kind of love must first be found in God, who loves us with an everlasting love. Then our human love will soar to new heights because it has a solid foundation in HIS love!

Just as the current restaurant has an intriguing, exposed brick wall that has been restored with a mortar similar to the original, making the wall stronger and even more beautiful through its restoration, so the Lord longs to restore our lives, our souls, and those areas in which we have suffered a loss. Where do you long for restoration today? When you allow God, in His timing and in His plan, to use like elements to strengthen the bridge between the present and the loss, you will be stronger and even more beautiful because of the restoration.

“Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up” (Psalm 71:20, NIV).