Tag: Restoration

Testimony

Perched in a squat, the drifter waived a cardboard sign scribbled with a black Sharpie™: “Lost Everything But My Hope and Faith. God Bless.” Homelessness in New York City has ostensibly risen in the last few years and unfortunately, displaced panhandlers clustered throughout Manhattan have become commonplace. In fact, according to the website “Coalition for the Homeless”, vagrancy in New York City has reached the highest levels since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

This particular sighting, however, was unusual. The young, blond man was fairly well-dressed and remarkably groomed. Nevertheless, it was his corrugated poster that captivated my attention, so much so that my conviction was piqued causing me to double back and discharge my last note, a ten dollar bill, from my pocket. Unmotivated by ego or indulgence, I overcame my reluctance precisely because I was called, from deep within, to donate the bill.

Forfeiting lunch due to my unexpected generosity, I returned to my office and scrounged around the pantry to no avail. Food was of no consequence; I had left my appetite at bay after having a serious disagreement with a relative the prior evening. Instead, I sought a distraction and rifled through my messy purse in search of my ear buds. Rather than thin, white dual wires, out came a church leaflet that was given to me almost 10 years ago. A decade had passed since I re-dedicated my life to Christ during an altar call and collected the booklet and I had not seen it since.

To understand the significance of this pamphlet would require some explanation. Since that fateful rebirth, I went on to graduate law school, met and married my husband, moved on three separate occasions, and also lost many of my possessions, including old books and papers, after Hurricane Sandy. Further to the point, the handbag that I carried that day had been given to me just one year ago as a gift for my participation in a friend’s wedding. Accordingly, there was no ordinary way that the brochure could have appeared in my new tote. Except, it materialize, full of biblical Scriptures and words of encouragement. In an unwitting and yet still provident state of fasting, I meditated on the messages sent in the bulletin and prayed for restoration with my relative.

Later that evening, as I curled up in front of the television, a family member knocked on my bedroom door. She explained that she found something in the washing machine that likely belonged to me. Unfamiliar with my earlier encounter, she handed me a crumpled ten dollar bill. I simply smiled and surrendered. The next morning, the recalcitrant relative uncharacteristically reached out, reestablished our connection, and made amends.

Being obedient to God’s calling requires strong discernment and will that glorifies Him on earth and demonstrates our love for Him. The test may come in the form of an itinerant roaming the city streets begging for change leading to an unforeseen testimony. Obedience can also result in answered prayers, blessings, direction, safety and restoration. More notably, it may present an opportunity for Divine fellowship.

Hebrews 13:2: “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!”

Divine Restoration

After more than 50 years, the doors of diplomacy have finally been reopened between the United States and Cuba. Unexpectedly brokered by Pope Francis in Vatican City, restorative efforts by both Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro have resulted in the call to the end of the U.S.-imposed trade embargo, the lifting of travel bans between the two countries, and reinstatement of their respective embassies. Assuredly, the pontiff’s first stop en route to America was Cuba.

With words of encouragement, Castro attested to Pope Francis’s triumph, avowing that he would consider returning to the faith in which he was born. The communist leader added that he would resume prayer again if the Pope continues in this vein. In a similarly poignant statement, President Obama was quoted as saying “you don’t have to be imprisoned by the past”, noting that President Eisenhower bolstered the severing of ties with Cuba in the same year that the current American president was born. The impasse of five decades no doubt resulted in economic, social and political disorder, with industries on both sides and the Hispanic populace bearing the burden and countless families torn apart.

Have you experienced or observed close relationships or families who are likewise unduly interned by the past? Equally devastating are those long-standing quarrels and generational wars that have been passed down through the ages, the true roots of which are unknown or have dissipated. Often, at the core, there is the needless legacy of mistake and misconstruction. Yet, due to faltered loyalty, spiritual blight or mere habit, ongoing feuds persist. Thus, tragic karma such as poverty, addictions or separation is recycled again and again. Today, the Lord is calling for restoration and the rebuking of ancestral strongholds that are keeping individuals, friendships and family units in abeyance. Not all will welcome repose, however, as consequential as two contending nations coming together, in His glory, He can reestablish all that the past has stolen. Simply ask in His name with a repentant heart and with praise.

Joel 2:25: “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten…”