trbccoffeebreak

“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” 1 Peter 5:10

My husband kissed me good-bye and walked out the door. A minute later, he returned, saying “It’s gone—my truck is gone.” What? How can a 4,500-pound truck disappear? Then reality hit—it had been stolen, from our own driveway!

After a flurry of activity—filling out a police report and notifying our insurance company—I drove my husband to work. Each lost in our own thoughts, we didn’t say much on the drive. He was sad, I was sad. Sad, but not shocked. We live in a broken world, filled with broken people.

We received a late-night call from the police about a week later letting us know they had found our truck—and arrested the teenagers who were joy riding in it. We drove to the location the police provided wondering what condition we would find the truck in once we arrived. It didn’t take long to spot the damage—major dents and scratches along one side and a shattered window told us that it had collided with something. Opening the door, we saw empty bottles, leftover food, trash, and stray pieces of clothing. The sights and smells testified to what had transpired inside the truck. Broken world, broken people.

The next day, the body shop outlined their plan to restore our truck. Dents would be hammered out and scratches buffed out. The shattered window would be replaced, and the inside professionally cleaned with chemicals that would seek out and eliminate lingering odors. All we had to do was sign off on their plan, and hand them the keys. They would take care of the rest.

Driving away from the body shop, God reminded me that He is the author of the world’s greatest restoration plan.

When life collides with us, God is ready to hammer out our dents and scratches—it may not be comfortable, but we can trust His restoration process. When our dreams are shattered like broken glass, God longs to replace them with His dreams for us. When the stuff inside us really stinks, He promises to send His Holy Spirit to seek out and eliminate the source of the stench.

All we have to do, is sign off on His plan for our restoration—accepting the finished work of Christ on the cross—and, hand over the keys to our heart. He will take care of the rest.

Yes, we live in a broken world, filled with broken people. We are broken people. But Jesus came that we might have life. And, in Jesus, God has called us to His eternal glory. We will experience brokenness and suffering, but God promises that He himself will restore us and make us strong, firm and steadfast.

“Lord, thank you that you saw our brokenness and sent a Savior.”

For His Glory

Ann Skalaski
TRBC Women’s Life