Normally, I love driving my little red jeep. But this summer, with its record breaking heat and sauna-like humidity, the joy was melting away. The air conditioner had quit working. Actually, it did work, but it blew cold air only on the windshield and on my feet. Even with the windows out, there was no relief from the heat. The moisture in the air settled on me like a warm, wet towel. My sun glasses fogged up and my sweaty hands stuck to the steering wheel. We put off repair for several weeks, thinking it would be too costly. My handyman husband considered working on it himself, but was intimidated by the thought of removing the console and perhaps causing more damage. Fortunately, most of our car trips were short, but a trip to Atlanta was looming, and I was a little concerned. I could picture wiping sweat from my brow, while trying to get feeling back into frostbitten feet! I decided to take the jeep to the dealership, bite the bullet, and do what needed to be done. Unfortunately, they could not schedule the repair until well after our trip. On a whim (and a little desperate) I took the jeep to AAA and asked if they could help. A young employee came outside to see the jeep and check out the problem. He reached in, effortlessly pulled off a knob, and said, “This is broken…same thing happened in my car. You can get a new one at the dealership.” No charge! Flabbergasted (and afraid to hope) I drove quickly back to the dealership. Five minutes and $9.00 later, the air conditioner was fixed! Oh the joy! I turned it on full force, sat back and relished the cool air blowing in my face! I smiled at the thought of how I had always taken that cool air for granted, and how grateful I was to have it restored.
There is an old saying that goes” if you don’t think you have very much, just think how you would feel if you lost everything…..and then, somehow, you got it all back”. The restoration would bring renewed appreciation and joy. Our grandchildren have no lack of toys. Wisely, their parents have left a stash of their old toys at our house. Whenever they visit, we pull them out. The way the children play, you’d think they were seeing the toys for the very first time! It’s fun to see the joy that comes from having a “lost” toy restored!
These are simplistic examples of the joy of restoration. But the principle is embedded in creation itself. A time of restoration is promised for this world. In Matthew 19:28, Jesus tells His disciples that they will sit on thrones judging the whole house of Israel during the “regeneration.” The Greek word for regeneration is “palingenesia” and means the “restoration of all things” (also used in Acts 3:21, “which God has spoken by all His holy prophets since the world began”). Romans 8: 20-22 states that the world will be delivered from the bondage of corruption. At the return of Christ, when His feet stand upon the Mount of Olives and the mountain splits in two, “the Lord shall be King over the whole earth,” and ‘living waters shall flow from Jerusalem” (Zechariah 14). And the ultimate renewal….”your dead shall live….they shall arise. Awake and sing you who dwell in the dust” (Isaiah 26:19). And how does creation respond to renewal? “Let the heavens rejoice and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar and all its fullness; let the field be joyful, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the Lord….for He is coming….” (Psalm 96:11-13). That picture encourages and refreshes me….like the joy of cool air blowing in my face on a hot summer day!