He is the potter, we are the clay!  If we will allow the potter His way with us, we will become a beautiful vessel of honor.

This week’s blog was written by guest writer, Brandon Hannon.

Last month, we went to the lake for the weekend with all of our family and some friends.  We had obstacle after obstacle come against us.  We constantly battled rain, lost keys, engine trouble, baby getting sick, trouble with reservations, and even computer troubles with writing this very blog!  You name it, and it happened (I know that you all have experienced what I’m talking about and can most likely relate).  One would think that after everything, we had a bad weekend.

Well, you are dead wrong if you think that. God took every single one of those incidences and turned them into something positive. To put things into perspective, when it did rain, it only lasted for a few minutes and that was all it took to clear the crowds and “glass up” the lake water!  (glass meaning: perfect conditions for water skiing). We had the entire lake to ourselves!  While I was looking for my lost car keys, God allowed me to find a pair of my dad’s very expensive sunglasses that had been lost for almost a year, and I also found a pocket knife that was extremely valuable to me.  At first I thought that it was just God doing simple “turnabouts,” but really what was happening was restoration!

You see, not too many years ago I was living a lifestyle that one would not boast about, and that lifestyle came with consequences. Theft was the biggest consequence that I constantly had to deal with over and over again.  It got to the point that I said to myself, “I’m not going to own anything over $50.00 because it is going to get stolen… GUAR-AN-TEED!”  My mentality turned into: “If I don’t have anything to steal, it can’t be stolen.”  Let me tell you, that is not a good mentality to have!  Even with all of the locks, safes, and a well-trained German Shepherd guard dog, everything was stolen from me one thing at a time.  Even the small stuff started disappearing into thin air all the way down to the silverware and cups!  I realized that God was trying to get my attention (it took a long time).

I’m not saying that God stole from me at all!  What I am saying is that when you open a door that allows darkness to enter, even just a crack, you can bet with confidence that the evil one will do everything in his power to steal, kill, and destroy everything that you have!  I’m not kidding… EVERYTHING that you have.  Long story short, I changed my life and started over – one incredibly small baby step at a time.  I realized that these small “turnabouts,” easily overlooked as coincidences, were actually part of something bigger… MY restoration!

This year I have really been blessed beyond belief with incredibly good grades, a good roommate, good financial situations, two great part-time jobs, wonderful relationships with friends and family, and a joy and happiness that seems to never go away.  These are just a FEW things that I have been blessed with.  It is now getting to the point that instead of finding something everyday that was stolen from me, I am finding myself being blessed everyday with something.

So what’s the secret?  Well, I’ll share it with you!  Drum roll please!……. Living a lifestyle that is pure and holy – one that pleases God. It is that simple!  Now, we all have our stumbles and trip ups.  I’m not talking about perfection here.  I’m talking about a heart change that yearns to please God, and an honest continual effort to do His will and obey what He says to do with no questions asked (“continual” being the key word).

It has been three or four years since the start of my initial life change, and I am finally reaping the good things that I have been sowing.  Like an old beat up car that a mechanic or hobbyist tinkers with in his garage, the restoration doesn’t just happen over night. It takes time.   Lifestyle change doesn’t happen overnight either; but eventually it DOES happen and WHEN it does, boy is it sweet!!!

Instead of driving a beat up old clunker, everyone on the road can now watch as you drive that gorgeous classic down the street.  Hind sight is always 20/20.  It is easy to look at the “ before” pictures of that beat up old car, then see the “ after” pictures and transformation of what it became.  The hard part is seeing the restoration process as it is happening in real-time.  It looks like a mess!  The trick is to count your blessings daily.  This is also where the joy comes in to play.

I have only talked about material possessions because that is what hit home for me.  This is what God used in my life.  However, this principle works for anything that you want to have restored in your life whether it be a marriage, joy/happiness, financial burdens, peace, anxiety relief, knowledge, health, and relationships with friends or family.  This principle works for anything that you want restored in your life.  And, that’s the cool part!

I encourage you to start your restoration or continue on your present journey and do not quit!!!!   From personal experience, I can PROMISE you that the reward will be worth any struggle or frustration that you encounter in the process.  The restoration process is not always fun, but when you begin to see the change that God is making on the inside of you, it is worth it!

by:  Brandon Hannon

Webster’s dictionary defines the word “restore” this way: “to bring back into existence or use; to restore order; to bring back to a former, original or normal condition; to bring back to a state of health, soundness or vigor; to put back to a former place, position, or rank; to make restitution of anything taken away or lost.”

I am reminded of Job in the Bible.  After a devastating crisis of loosing all of his ten children, seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred female donkeys, he lost his health also.  Weeping boils covered his entire body.  We do not know exactly how long Job had to endure this physical calamity, but it was a “period of time.”

In the end, God restored Job’s losses and gave him twice as much as he had before.  The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning.  Not only was he a wealthy man, but he was blessed with ten more children and lived to see his children and grandchildren for four generations.

No matter what we feel like we have lost, God can restore it.  God can restore what the devil has stolen from us.  God can restore marriages. God can restore health.  I am a testament to this.  God can restore positions of honor.  God can restore families and relationships.  God can restore mental capacity.  God can restore finances.  God can restore children to the parents.  God can restore nations.  God can restore freedoms.   God can restore peace, love and joy.  God can restore anything and anybody.  There is nothing that you have lost that God cannot restore, and the best part is – He is eager to restore!

Do not try to figure out “how” He can do it.  You will never figure that out.  Just believe that He “can.”  His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts.  When you can believe that God CAN restore your situation, you give birth to faith and hope.  With faith…ALL things are possible with God!!

Question:  What do you need restored in your life?