{RE:} Restored Years

In the 300’s, St John Chrysostom referred to “those who pray with us”. Nearly 1800 years later, that’s us! The communion of saints is real and transcends time. There is a song by the group Thrive,”Pour Your Spirit Out” that I’ve been listening too a lot lately. After singing about Lazarus coming out of the grave, there’s a line that says”Jesus rewrites history”. When I think of where my life was headed before I was born again, I marvel at how He changed my story-my history! I think of my family-my life in Cohoes and marvel at His goodness. Just last week, God broke through my thoughts and plans and told me to “stop going to the well”-He had new things to show me and to do with me. He continues to “rewrite my history” as each day unfolds. God delights in restoring what the locusts have eaten. Everything that Job lost was not only restored but doubled!

Lord-

Forgive my unbelief, increase my faith & hope!

As a work with high school students as well as in talking with a couple of the young teenagers in the confirmation class, I think back to my own teenage years and 20s. i wish I could go back in time and be more assertive to do those things that would have jump started my career and my maturity level. However, now many decades later, God has given me a double portion of the wisdom I lacked back then and an eagerness to still learn and change.

Thank you for the word!!!

I have felt trapped in a valley of disappointment and wasted time but to realize God can restore and allow you to recuperate from your locust eating years

I was waiting eagerly for this scripture! It's my favorite promise of restoration in the entire Bible. Such an image--new growth coming from the stubble of destroyed crops, he times to come bring so much more than the times that were lost. I 💯 believe this for my own life, and claim it now for the years stolen by COVID and some personal struggles I've gone through during this time. Spring is on the way.

I think God that I have not had a lot of “locusts eating“ years. There was one time, when we were trying to make my second kidney transplant happen. Colleen and I attempted to make a transplant happen in Albany medical Center, but after a year of preparing, we no longer matched. We then attempted to have an incompatible kidney transplant at John’s Hopkins In Baltimore, but our bloods were too far apart and they wanted to attempt a “swap“ weird colleen would give her kidney to someone else and someone else would give me a kidney. They gave this a year and because of my antibody level they could not find anyone to match me. So, it seemed as if two years were wasted and nothing went forward. No I do not usually suffer from depression, but I did find myself at one of the only periods of my life that I could not smile or enjoying life. This went on for a few months… I would sit outside and just “stew“ about the situation. One day when I was sitting on my porch an insect flew close to my head. I thought it was a bee, but it hovered and hovered around my head for a few minutes. It was then that I realized that it was a hummingbird. I had never seen a hummingbird up close before, and it made me laugh. It was then that my “stewing“ time ended. I knew inside my heart that God had sent that hummingbird to breakthrough that dark time and bring me hope. It was not long after that we received the call that John’s Hopkins called and said they would attempt the incompatible transplant because there was no one to match me. This transplant gave me four years free of dialysis. It was not tremendously successful, and the program was discontinued soon after. However, four years free of dialysis is a blessing in itself, and I think God for allowing Colleen and I to experience it. I thank you Lord for allowing Colleen and I to participate in this life-saving procedure. Even though it may not have been successful for me, I do pray that you gave the doctors wisdom to move forward In their attempt to find alternatives To dialysis.