I may be addicted to HGTV. I watch houses be restored. I watch for DIY tips. I watch for design trends. All the while, I am thinking about what my next project will be, and what I can do without frustrating my husband.

Houses need updating. We replace what is worn out and broken. We replace what no longer serves us well. We appreciate a renewed and revived space. Watching my kitchen undergo a restoration has given me a new energy and enjoyment of our house.

I have done enough of these projects to know they never go as planned. Sometimes we have to go deeper into the structure to begin rebuilding. Sometimes there is more that is broken than we anticipated. However, once the project is completed, it is better than before.

This has me reflecting on personal restoration. What does it mean to be restored? Why is it so hard to dig into my own structure and dig out what no longer serves me? Hyper-vigilance, fears, and perfection are a few pieces of my structure that no longer serve me well. Letting them go has required going down to my core and helping the little girl inside me know that it is okay to let them go.

^11-12 “I’m baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. The real action comes next: The main character in this drama—compared to him I’m a mere stagehand—will ignite the kingdom life within you, a fire within you, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He’s going to clean house—make a clean sweep of your lives. He’ll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he’ll put out with the trash to be burned.” (Matthew 3:11-12 NIV).

John the Baptist tells us of the One-Jesus who comes to clean house. Jesus, who comes to declare that we are restored-replacing everything that is false. It is Jesus who has helped me let go of survival technics adopted by a smart little girl navigating scary events she didn’t understand.

I am still a restoration project in process. I am enjoying the new shiny parts. The hard work to get rid of broken and worn out ways of thinking has been worth it in more ways than I can ever describe.

Are you willing to do the work of restoration for yourself? Are you ready to treat yourself with love and forgiveness the way Jesus does? Share your experience here and breathe life and bring hope to others.