Restoration | Paula Wiseman

Throw the Cloak Aside

Mark 10 tells the story of the healing of a blind man named Bartimaeus. In verse 50, there's a detail worth noticing.

Throwing aside his cloak, [Bartimaeus] jumped up and came to Jesus.

That cloak was his bedroll and his blanket. It was his sole earthly possession. It was essential to his life as beggar.

But he threw it aside.

He was about to have an encounter with Jesus, the Christ, and he knew nothing in his life would ever be the same.

He called Jesus by the same intimate, personal name Mary Magdalene used on Resurrection Morning. He knew the One he was talking to.

And he asked for healing.

That's the choice.

Keep the cloak, and all it represents

Or receive restoration.

Filed Under: Monday Meditations Tagged With: Bartimaeus, Healing the blind near Jericho, Mark, restoration

What Job Taught My Characters

By Paula

(I'm working on the edits for Indemnity, so I really appreciate your patience and understanding as I offer a repost. Thank you!)

Over the course of my books, I put my characters in some difficult spots. That's good for them and good for the readers. However, then I have to come along and put some wise resolution for that character to discover, drawn on or hear from someone else. I strive for a fresh insight, for practical wisdom, something useful, not just holy-sounding. This is always when the writing gets very humbling because this is where God takes over.

In one situation, I had a character go back to Job. (I had just finished reading Job myself, so it was fresh in my mind.) The character said although the Lord restored all that Job had, God never took the pain of the loss away. Yesterday, it also occurred to me that the restoration took years. Job didn't wake up the next morning *poof* with his seven new sons and three new daughters.

So here are two things I learned-

Pain fades to the point where it doesn't consume our lives, but it doesn't necessarily ever go away. At least not in this life. Sometimes we put unrealistic expectations on ourselves or others about how and when we should be 'over' something. Each situation is unique and intensely personal. Grant yourself (or someone else) the grace to walk through it rather than adding the pressure of 'should'. Truth is, God may doing things through the loss that we are completely unaware of, as was Job's case. Job never knew the full story behind all his suffering.

Second, restoration takes time and it may mean traveling over some ground we've already covered. Job had already done diapers and toddlers and loose teeth and adolescence but he had to go through it all again. It's worth it. The last chapter of Job says, "The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than the beginning."

What have you learned from Job?

Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: healing, Job, Pain, restoration

Time for Pain and for Restoration

By Paula

: Image by stage88 via Flickr

Over the course of my books, I put my characters in some difficult spots. That’s good for the plot and good for the readers. However, then I have to come along and put some wise resolution for that character to discover, drawn on or hear from someone else to get them out of that pickle. I strive for a fresh insight, for practical wisdom, something useful not just holy-sounding. This is where the writing gets very humbling because this is where God takes over.
In one situation, I had a character go back to Job. (I just finished reading Job, so it’s fresh in my mind.) The character said although the Lord restored all that Job had, God never took the pain of the loss away. Yesterday, it also occurred to me that the restoration took years. Job didn’t wake up the next morning *poof* with his seven new sons and three new daughters.
So here are two principles about pain or loss (I wish I’d thought of them, but they’re God’s)- Pain fades to the point where it doesn’t consume our lives, but it doesn’t necessarily ever go away. At least not in this life. Sometimes we put unrealistic expectations on ourselves or others about how and when we should be ‘over’ something. Each situation is unique and intensely personal. Grant yourself (or someone else) the grace to walk through it rather than add the pressure of ‘should’. Truth is, God may doing things through the loss that we are completely unaware of- as was Job’s case. Job never knew the full story behind all his suffering.
Second, restoration takes time and it may mean traveling over some ground we’ve already covered. Job had done diapers and toddlers and loose teeth and adolescence with his kids, but he had to go through it all again. In the end, it’s worth it. The last chapter of Job says, “The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than the beginning.”

Pain, suffering and sorrow are a fact of life, but thank God through Jesus Christ, they are only a fact of THIS life. (John 16:33)

Filed Under: Living Tagged With: Job, John, Pain, restoration, Suffering

Like Israel

By Paula

[We are travelling to a faraway land with no internet service - our house in Ohio- so here's a post I wrote a while back but never published. I'll be back Tuesday with a fresh study tip.]

When I read passages like Psalm 78, it is easy to berate Israel for their faithlessness to God after all He had done for them. However, if I’m honest it would be fairly easy to write a psalm like this of my own life. God has done great things, intervened on my behalf, providentially cared for me, and yet I’ve rebelled, been faithless, certainly provoked Him.

38 But He, being full of compassion, forgave their [my] iniquity,/ And did not destroy them [me]./

Yes, many a time He turned His anger away,/ And did not stir up all His wrath;

39 For He remembered that they were [I was] but flesh,/ A breath that passes away and does not come again.

Thank God He remembers my frailty.

I, like Israel:

did not keep the covenant

refused to walk in His law

forgot His works

sinned even more against Him

rebelled against Him in the wilderness

tested God

did not believe in God

did not trust His salvation

still sinned [after seeing His power manifest]

did not believe His wondrous works

sought Him

returned

earnestly sought for God

remembered that God was my rock, the Most High is my Redeemer

flattered Him with my tongue

lied to Him with my mouth

my heart was not steadfast

was not faithful in His covenant

grieved Him

limited Him

forgot His power

turned back

acted unfaithfully

turned to idols (the biggest one being myself)

But He is patient and gracious and receives me after I’ve learned these lessons… again.

Filed Under: Devotional Tagged With: compassion, frailty, Psalms, rebellion, restoration

Study Tip: So?

By Paula

When we read Scripture, it’s easy to get caught up in the major themes and miss some of the small details. Sometimes the little transition words are the most critical. Often they answer the question ‘why’ and give a little more insight into the passage as a whole. Consider these opening verses in Luke 15:

Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him (2) And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” (3) So He spoke this parable to them, saying:

From there Jesus tells the parables of the lost sheep, lost coin and lost son. If you miss the ‘So’ in verse 3, you miss the purpose for the story. He was illustrating the grace of God in receiving sinners, in stark contrast to the contempt the religious establishment showed them. There is joy at the restoration of the broken fellowship. The Pharisees and scribes misread the heart of God.

Verses 6 and 9 have the little word ‘for’ telling us the reason for the joy. “I have found what was lost”. The restoration of the lost possessions is a metaphor for repentance. How much joy and glory it gives God when we come to agree with Him about where we stand!

Other ‘why’ words include because, therefore (and its twin, wherefore), and occasionally ‘so’ is teamed up with ‘that’. Pay attention to them and you’ll gain added insight into God’s purposes and ways.

Filed Under: Study Tip Tuesday Tagged With: Bible study, Luke, parable, restoration