Restart

I remember vividly times of restart in my life. I remember starting my first ministry position back in the 1982. I remember clear each time I started over in a new place. There were fears and unknowns. There were bunches of new people to get to know. In 1993 when my marriage fell apart. I found myself in unknown territory as a single dad with three children. I had to restart and rebuild. I look back on that now to see how God was working in the middle of my pain and suffering. He held me close when I was so very low. He sent people my way to encourage me and inspire me with hope. That event is probably the biggest “restart” of my life. There have been many other restarts too.

As I read about the people of Israel restarting to build the temple, I realize that restarts anticipate new hope. I could feel the emotion of a new start as they began to celebrate the Lord’s Presence with offerings. They also begin a tangible restart by laying the foundation of the temple. Check this out…

10 When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise the Lord, as prescribed by David king of Israel. 11 With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord:

‘He is good;

    his love towards Israel endures for ever.’

And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. 12 But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. 13 No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away. (Ezra 3:10-13 NIV)

I love the scene with the young people full of energy – singing and dancing. I also feel the joy expressed in weeping of the older people who remembered back 70+ years earlier when the Temple was the hub of the community. These older folks had endured the captivity and saw the restart from a totally different perspective.

I need to have a positive perspective on my restarts (aka “do over” or “second chance”). I get a second chance to build parts of my life differently than before. When the recession downsized my finances, I realized that I needed to do some things differently than before. I really did have a restart.

On a personal daily note, I have to restart my heart sometimes. It’s gets hard and cold and desensitized. I need the Lord to soften my heart and do a restart. I want the things that hurt His heart to hurt mine. I want to love like He loves. I want to live from my heart like He’s called me to live.

Pressing On!

Dwayne