Find the path to restore your faith when life brings doubts
Sometimes life necessitates a spiritual restoration.
When life is moving along smoothly and things are going well, it is easier to hold onto one’s faith and endure the hard times. It is during the challenging times that it becomes difficult to hold onto your faith and beliefs and trust that things will work out for your good. A spiritual restoration might be needed to facilitate the journey back to hope, joy and peace.
I’m not referring to the occasional illness, setback, disappointment, delay or frustration, but the deep devastation that pulls the rug out from under you or when you get that telephone call you have been dreading about a situation. Terminal cancer. You’re fired. Your home is repossessed, or even worse, destroyed by fire. A loved one unexpectedly passes away and leaves a hole in your heart. Your child is suffering, and you feel helpless. Depression sets in and takes a seat at your table and won’t leave. During these times it is not about holding on, it’s more about “how do I get back up and restore my faith and trust?”
When we talk about restoration, we are usually talking about tangible items. I have a close friend who restores furniture, antiques, wood floors and just about anything in the home. To do so, she takes the item back to its original condition, starts all over again, and gives it a new coat, a new look. So, too, is the process of spiritual restoration.
To restore our faith and trust, it is necessary to spend time uncovering the discomfort and embracing the situation. Without uncovering the hurt, guilt, fear or anger, we only push those feelings down, only for them to emerge later in life. Once we get rid of the negatives that fill our hearts, we also must get rid of the negatives that fill our mind. I call the mind during these times, “doubting Gerry.” You know, that critical voice that can find the worst in everything; the voice that can cite all of the “why nots.”
It is the shift from “doubting Gerry” to a stillness of the heart and mind that allows me to empty the negatives in order to be filled with love, hope, peace and expectant joy. In the stillness you can resort to affirmations, reading, meditation, yoga and/or prayer, and if needed, a therapist, to maintain reality and balance. Sometimes I feel the need to get away for a spa experience. It is in the stillness that we can get back to… “God is in control, all things work together for our good, and God only wants good for our life.” Spiritual restoration takes us back to those beliefs and values that are the foundation of life and have gotten us to where we are today.
A relative recently asked me about the word “grace.” Grace is the unmerited favor of God. Favor that we don’t deserve in spite of our shortcomings. Blessings when we doubt. Blessings when we ask, “why me?” Blessings when we lose faith. Blessings when we have hardened our hearts to God’s word. His grace is sufficient to carry us in times of trouble.
If you are facing an unconscionable situation, give yourself the time and space to restore your spirit. We can’t always anticipate a time or season, but the power of the spirit is so strong if we can be still (and “know that I am God”), we can find peace in the storm. Choose to trust in a future filled with joy, love, peace and happiness. God promised to be with us in the storm, and He has faithfully kept his word for you and me. Take the time to restore your spirit.