Make it Right

We are in the midst of a spiritual battle, and in a fallen world, we experience the brokenness of the
human condition. But, God is calling us to depend on Him, who has a heart for repairing the broken and restoring our souls. 1st Peter 5 says:
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

The enemy is roaming throughout the world, seeking to, as Jesus taught in John 10, steal, kill, and destroy.  We will encounter suffering in this life, because we live in this world.  But, even in the midst of our suffering and despair, we can know the supernatural touch of Almighty God.  He wants to lead us into a life of restoration, where we are seeing His hand at work, where relationships are repaired and people are able to see the love of Jesus expressed.

+++++

God's heart is for renewal and restoration - through Christ, He makes all things new and promises that we, under His new covenant, can experience newness of life.  He has restored our relationship with Himself and calls us to live out an attitude of restoration, of making things right, all around us.  That
heart of restoration is seen in Hosea 6:
1 Come, and let us return to the Lord; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up.
2 After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight.
3 Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter and former rain to the earth.

I have come across some inspiring instances of people who have decided to make things right personally and even culturally.  For instance, take the example of an anonymous waitress who is highlighted at ChristianHeadlines.com.  The story opens by saying:

The owner of a popular Tucson, Ariz., restaurant received a letter last week from a former waitress who was so full of remorse over money stolen 20 years ago that she was paying it back -- with interest added. Included in the envelope was $1,000 in cash.

“It definitely restores your faith in humanity,” wrote Ray Flores, the son of the owner, on Facebook.

She acquired the extra money by "not ringing up drinks." The article says that: "She also said she 'grew up in church' and 'knew better,' but did it anyway."  The article refers to a CBS News story on this restoration effort.

The letter with the money inside arrived the same week that Ray's mother, the owner of the restaurant, had her purse stolen.  He is quoted as saying on Facebook, "Thank you to whomever you are for sending us this letter in a week I really needed to see the good in people.”  He told CBS News that Ray related that his mom "came up to me and said in Spanish, ‘baby Jesus is still around.’"

Meanwhile, a department store employee saw a cultural injustice and took steps to make things right.  A USA Today article reported recently:

Ebony Harris, a cashier at a Walmart store in Burton, Michigan, offered to paint Angela Peters' nails on her break. A nail salon reportedly turned Peters away because her hands sometimes shake, and "she moves too much," bystander Tasia Smith shared on Facebook.

The story says ABC News reported that Harris had helped Peters, who has cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair, shop before, as well. USA Today quoted Tara Aston, a Walmart spokesperson:

"Ebony simply wanted to make sure our customer’s day was special, and that’s the kind of person she is — someone with a wonderful attitude who goes the extra mile each day to make those around her feel important," Aston said in a statement on behalf of Walmart. "We’re not surprised at her act of kindness."

For her part, Peters said she forgave the people at the nail salon, which is located inside the department store, but would not be visiting there again.

Peters told ABC: "I forgive the nail people for not doing my nails," adding:

"When people do us wrong we must forgive, if not we harbor bitterness. I don't want anyone fired, I just [want to] educate people that people with different challenges like being in a wheelchair, we can have our own business and get our nails done like anyone else."

These two stories can help us to capture a sense of God's heart toward restoration.  The former waitress was convinced that she should return money that she felt she had stolen from her former employer.  The cashier wanted to make things right by providing for a person who had been rejected, apparently because of her disability.  Now, there's not an especially overt spiritual element here, although the waitress did say she was raised in church.  But, there is certainly a spiritual principle that we can take away - when we believe we have done wrong, or we see someone else who is wronged, there is an opportunity to exercise God's love and forgiveness.

We can be challenged to activate our spiritual sensitivity.  There may have been an instance in our past when we have wronged someone else, and it can provide a Christian witness to ask for forgiveness or even repay what has been taken.  Or, we may observe a situation, like Ebony Harris did, where someone else is being mistreated - perhaps God has placed us in the position to observe it and wants us to respond.

Finally, we can depend on the Lord to fill our hearts with kindness, which is on the list of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5.  Walking in kindness means we are seeking to exemplify the character and teachings of Christ - we have to be careful to project a stance that is consistent with who Christ says we are.