Restoration Hardwired

I was very pleasantly surprised this morning by a hefty package on my doorstep from Restoration Hardware. It contained gorgeous catalogues of their various collections, almost 3 inches thick. I began to salivate. Gorgeous. Gorgeous. Gorgeous. I waited to open them at a more opportune time, when I could truly savour the delight.

I finally opened the cover of the 1 inch thick “RH Interiors Spring 2013” catalogue this afternoon, coffee in hand, and read the opening letter from Gary Friedman, Chairman Emeritus, Creator and Curator. As I read his words of heart and passion, my heart began to thump, and I felt I would begin to weep. What he was writing about is authenticity. Passion. Hope. Dreaming. Being who you are with gusto, and in so living your life, being a contagious catalyst for the inspiration of others to be so propelled and glorious as well. When you shine, you give others permission to shine too, I heard this saying somewhere and have adopted it. But what made me want to weep is that this has been God's dream for the Church. Yet. We are not, as a collective, universal, Body of Christ, as passionate about God and Jesus as Gary and Co. are about their furniture. About their dream. Why not?

Why not?

My theory? Because the majority of those who call themselves the Church and Christian, don't know God. And so I wanted to weep. Because I feel God's heart for His Church, His Bride, His Body on earth. She has wandered. She has stuffed Him into her head, separated Him from her heart, and now wanders the desert like a zombie freak wondering why so many run from her.

But what if.

What if each zombie Christian and Church gave the Holy Spirit permission to do what He wills in His people, (those who profess His Name)? What if Christians let Jesus be Lord of their lives, instead of just paying lip service. What if Christians admitted their need for the power of God to restore their brokenness. What if they experienced the unconditional love and the gracious gift of healing in their hearts, minds and bodies that Christ offers?

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But we don't just need saving from satan and his kingdom of darkness, we need saving from ourselves too. From the falseness we create as a security blanket, we don't know ourselves as beautiful, because we don't know God as beautiful, in who's image we are created. At one time or another, each of us experience a wound and a lie. It goes deep, and is indiscernable, at times, from our DNA, it grows up with us and becomes a part of who we, and others, think we are. But. God had a failsafe installed. We are restoration hardwired. Each one. But we don't run on batteries.

I love God, because He loved me first. I believe, because I have experienced. I have found, because I chose to seek. I got answers, because I asked. Him. And those He put in my path. I am grateful. He is the power source that restores what is broken. I am grateful. I am part of a Church that has chosen to plug in. I am grateful.

It is a journey, to shine. Restoration is painful. Think of a house that has had poorly planned additions and shoddy work done to it, or neglect. Sometimes a gutting is in order. But we are each a masterpiece of the world's premier Architect. We have good bones. We are made for beauty and pleasure, to have Divine relationship. We are made for love of the purest form. We are made to live out of that place.

Imagine. Dream. Hope. Be inspired. Shine!