I chose the title "Restored" for this blog because I have recently and repeatedly been drawn to Isaiah 61. Perhaps you've read it before, perhaps not, but here it is in case you want a refresher. The prophet Isaiah writes,
The Spirit of the Soverign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion--
to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated . . .
And you will be called priests of the Lord,
you will be named ministers of our God.
I delight greatly in the Lord;
my soul rejoices in my God.
(Isaiah 61:1-4, 6, 10)
So much about this passage speaks to me and to the places I've been over the past years (really, throughout my walk as a follwer of Jesus). Recently, I have felt a strong leading to form and deepen spiritual relationships with other women who also seek to follow Chrst, for the purpose of encouraging and challenging and also for receiving encouragement and being challenged myself. And I have been blessed by some amazing women who have graced my life with their presence, their prayers, and the sharing of their hearts.
So, that's why I chose pink as the color of this blog. I'm not normally a "pink" person--when my best friend took a look at the prelimiary page, her first words were "it's pink!" So, that tells you something right there. But, like I said, this is mainly about and for women's hearts (no offense to any fellas). So that's why the pink.
A friend who has endured many challenges herself, put out a challenge to others to choose a "word" for themselves for this new year. I've done this in the past. A few years ago I chose "remain" (based on John 15) as a reminder to "remain" in Him at all times and that apart from Him I could do nothing (John 15:5). This year, I am choosing "restored" as my word. Thus, the reason for the blog address (http://www.restoredplaces.blogspot.com/). There are so many places in my life and soul that God has already restored from ruins. And there are so many more needing restoring.
I want to search more through Scripture on the occurrences of the word "restored." But a brief search brought me to a favorite verse that I had not kept at the forefront of my mind recently. It comes from 1 Peter 5:6-10 (forgive my insert of the addition of "sisters" for the word "brothers" :-) I don't think it alters the meaning of the passage at all):
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers [sisters] throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
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. "
I hope as you read, if anything is on your heart, you will share it! Blessings, and here goes!
(P.S. Although I am an editor, I thoroughly intend to keep my "editor's hat" off when blogging (thanks Jen for that reference--I love it!)--I will do my best to stay grammatically correct, but for my fellow editors--please forgive all the rest! I refuse to consult the Chicago Manual of Style before clicking "Publish Post!" :-)
