A Culture of Restoration

I have been thinking about culture lately. Culture in a kingdom sense. I've been looking at some of my ways of thinking and the actions that have come out of that. I've been looking at the kind of family values that Kevin and I want to promote. I've been thinking about our church and who we have been and want to become.

I've been SO blessed to think back. Profound "stands", mistakes made, lessons learned, victories realized, community deepened. God is and has been so wonderfully good and faithful.

So, what is my "culture"???

Restoration.

I was working on my computer the other day and saw something online about computer repair. It talked about the difference between recovery and restoration. "Recovering files typically refers to salvaging one or more files, while a restore usually refers to replacing a complete system or hard drive from a full system backup." So basically, if you have a file that's messed up or lost, you "recover", and if you have a system that is operating outside of design or purpose, you "restore". 

When I read that, I was struck with a distinctive applicable to the kind of kingdom culture I love: recovery is an aspect of a larger, "whole person", restorative process that aims to align with a beautiful original design. The process is real for every person, and our dedication to it is heavily influenced by our view of grace. 

Growing up, I was accustomed to a view of grace that seemed to have accepted a view of humanity framed by "original sin". And while it is true that we all have fallen short and are profoundly broken, I've found that grace is so much more than "undeserved favor". In fact, that perspective validates a process of becoming that tries to manage brokenness or negative behavior. It frames a person in terms of who they've been in their fallenness. It can limit a recovery need to a correction of habits and even limit the larger possibility of restoration. (Likely, restoration itself is an unrealistic expectation, making recovering the focus and highest hope for this life.) Unfortunately, this fails to offer complete healing and freedom. 

The true definition of grace is much grander, I'm discovering. As a result, the journey to true, unshackled humanity is marked by investment beyond our wildest dreams. Graham Cooke said recently, "Grace is the empowering presence of God that enables you to become who He sees when He looks at you.". His rationale is that scripture says that Jesus "grew in grace", so the concept has to be much broader than sin for Jesus did not sin. I AGREE! That larger notion reframes our approach to our development or "becoming" by setting us in the light of "origin glory". It sets us in a larger process of aligning with God's vision of us. It means we can really believe that God can and wants to breathe His breath of life on every aspect of our being. AND...it means we can believe and own that God has a "new day" for us all as we join Him in that restorative process.

So recovery...it's not the point. It's a chapter along the way for all of us in various forms. But it's more of a "file" adjustment in a larger, hopeful "system reboot". It can focus on habits and accountability, but it is a part of a grander journey to healing and wholeness.

Restoration...It doesn't mean that life is easy...but it means that even in the hurt, the pain, the confrontation, the challenges...THERE IS HOPE and honor and value and victory. For me, it's worth fighting for and worth doing together. Culture.