We think a lot about restoration at Prison Fellowship Ministries. We believe that restoration is the theme of God’s activity throughout Scripture – and in the present day, too. Since we want to take our cue from Him, we work and pray to make restoration the goal of everything we do with prisoners, returning citizens, families, financial partners, and everyone in between.
Just this week, a colleague helped me see this word in a new light. She pointed out to me that the word “story” is right in the middle of “restoration.” A story is a telling of things that have happened, and “re-” means again. Although it’s not the literal meaning, in a way, “restoration” suggests how the Lord gives each of us a new story. He takes everything good, bad, and downright ugly that happened in the past, and He recasts it in a different, redemptive light. He rewrites the script. He brings beauty out of the ashes.
What story is God retelling in your life? Has incarceration touched you or a loved one, and now you are ready to mentor others walking that difficult road? Is He taking something that used to be a burden to you, and showing you how it was really a blessing He intends to use mightily in your life?
God is a master storyteller, and there’s nothing – not even the despair in the darkest prison cell – that He can’t redeem for His glory and the ultimate advancement of the Kingdom. I invite you to see how the story He has given you can be a part of the bigger narrative of restoration taking place through Prison Fellowship Ministries. Visit www.prisonfellowship.org today.