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Restorable... "not enough time"
Jen Mininger • Dec 16, 2019
How to receive hope and comfort in the middle of your mess...
... and an invitation to join me at The Restorable Retreat!
While I was walking in the 20 acre junkyard, just myself, my camera and other broken things… I sort of lost track of time. Like, I ended up being there for HOURS. Literally… hours of walking around, thinking, praying, taking in the sights and taking pictures.
I didn’t plan on being there that long, but I found it hard to leave.
When I realized it was getting late, and I still needed to get the kids from school, I began to hurry back through the junkyard and get to my van. I climbed in and grabbed my snack...cause I was getting hungry!
When I realized it was getting late, and I still needed to get the kids from school, I began to hurry back through the junkyard and get to my van. I climbed in and grabbed my snack...cause I was getting hungry!
Then... I grabbed my journal and a pen and wrote a quick note… a note because I felt there was something about that feeling that I was having…
Doesn’t it seem like sort of a strange analogy to not want to leave the junkyard. It's strange to think that I don't spend enough time in the junkyards of life.. Typically we want to rush out of the low times, the down and out times… we want a quick fix and get back to the mountain tops. We want to be on the other side of pain, the restored side.
Solomon wrote it. The Beatles sang it.. "a time to laugh, a time to weep....to everything there is a season".
Personally... I'd like to skip the hard seasons, but I'm learning that in the broken season ... in the seemingly hopeless junk yard...there are treasures. So, with some reluctance, I'll attempt to take my time. It is a hard work...surrendering to God restoring me...but I'm so thankful that I am RESTORABLE!
So, today, I just want to leave you with a simple encouragement...don’t give up. This season that your in, that hard spot, the thing that defeats you, beats you up and knocks you down. The thing that you can’t forgive. The thing that triggers you, the thing that hurts you. Don’t give up on it.
Hang in there. There is a season for mourning. There is a season for weeping… and this might be your season to be in there.
I didn’t want to leave that junk yard...which seemed weird to me. I thought I’d be quick, in and out.. Get my pictures, see my things and go home and get something else accomplished!
But..there was healing there for me. There was comfort in the thick of acknowledging my broken stuff. Treasures in the midst of staying and acknowledging my hard thing.
Do you know the part of Psalm 23 where it says… “even though I walk THROUGH the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me”.
“Walk through the valley of the shadow of death”... “walk”. Not skip over, not catapult over...not get a trampoline and bounce over. We’ve gotta “WALK THROUGH” it, and it doesn’t feel right, it doesn’t feel good… it’s hard. It’s really hard. It's a “valley of the shadow of death”.
In the Bible, it shares with us from God’s heart, that even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death...there is comfort THERE! His rod and His staff, they comfort me...there. The Shepherd, He uses his rod, his staff...not to beat the sheep into submission, but to guide, to protect. That Shepherd LOVES His sheep. And when that sheep is in a valley and it's dark and there is danger around..the Shepherd isn’t hurrying the sheep out of the valley, rather He is saying “we need to be here, stay close to me, I will keep you safe. Listen to my voice, you will know my voice and I will keep you safe in the valley here. I will comfort you and you will feel secure, even in this valley.
I think that is what God is encouraging me to do time and time again. To accept the valley. To not avoid it, cope my way out of it, escape it. But to just allow it to be there, and to know that I won’t get swallowed alive by it! I won’t be there forever, but I will be there sometimes...the valley times are inevitable. In the book of John it says, “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world”.
And that trouble sometimes feels like a dark shadowed valley of death. Hang in there. He is with you. He is right next to you. God, the loving Heavenly Father, the Shepherd, the Good Shepherd. He is there, comforting you, keeping you safe, protecting you. He is going to help you walk through it! And that is the other good news… you walk THROUGH it. You don’t walk in it and get stuck there forever. There is hope. There is another side… you go THROUGH it and past it. But today, quite possibly your listening because your in it...your in the valley of the shadow of death.
How can we receive comfort, if we don't acknowledge the thing that hurts so bad?
Somehow, when I was in that junk yard I found comfort, and I didn’t want to leave. I went to my hard spot, I went to my pain. I felt God’s presence, I felt safe and I felt ok. I felt that there was going to be treasures there for me. And ya know what?... a mechanic would say the SAME THING! A mechanic would go to a junkyard and see something broken up. He would see something so messed up, beat up, rusted out and desperate. And he would see a treasure!!!”. He would want to get that piece of junk...that soon to be treasure...that thing that ALWAYS was and ALWAYS will be a treasure in the mechanic’s eyes.
Somehow, when I was in that junk yard I found comfort, and I didn’t want to leave. I went to my hard spot, I went to my pain. I felt God’s presence, I felt safe and I felt ok. I felt that there was going to be treasures there for me. And ya know what?... a mechanic would say the SAME THING! A mechanic would go to a junkyard and see something broken up. He would see something so messed up, beat up, rusted out and desperate. And he would see a treasure!!!”. He would want to get that piece of junk...that soon to be treasure...that thing that ALWAYS was and ALWAYS will be a treasure in the mechanic’s eyes.
He would want to get it out of the junkyard, but first He would need to take it THROUGH the junk yard with a goal of taking it to HIS home and RESTORING IT. It would take time, care, and attention and investment...but eventually?... OH MY GOODNESS! We would all SEE the valuable treasure that the Mechanic originally saw….if we would just let Him restore us from our brokenness.
Can you imagine the car trying to wiggle its way out of the garage? Or trying to yell at the mechanic, saying, “No! No! No!”.
Kind of a weird analogy, right?! But..I get it. That is sometimes me. I”m like.."AH! This hurts!!". Maybe I don’t want to be restored. I want it easier. Or...sometimes, I minimize the rust, the dent, and the brokenness in me and say things like, “maybe the junkyard wasn’t so bad...can I just go back there?".
Kind of a weird analogy, right?! But..I get it. That is sometimes me. I”m like.."AH! This hurts!!". Maybe I don’t want to be restored. I want it easier. Or...sometimes, I minimize the rust, the dent, and the brokenness in me and say things like, “maybe the junkyard wasn’t so bad...can I just go back there?".
You know it all. I’m sure you’ve said this stuff too.
But there are treasures in the midst of the junkyard….even, in the midst of being restored.
I don’t know what your treasures are from your brokenness. I don’t know what your treasure will be from your dark spot. I don’t know what your treasure might be from when you got hurt.
But, I do believe in the “God of all comfort”. I believe in the “God of hope”. And I believe in the One who has and will overcome all hard things.
And, I’ve discovered treasures that I didn’t have before. New treasures that I could have only received from walking THROUGH my hard stuff. My hard stuff has matured parts of me, it has taught me to be understanding and sympathize, and even empathize with others when they are feeling their hard stuff.
My hard stuff softens me, and even humbles me. It causes me to be a kinder and gentler person...when I walk through it with the Shepherd.
My hard stuff softens me, and even humbles me. It causes me to be a kinder and gentler person...when I walk through it with the Shepherd.
Those are just some of the real treasures that I have received from walking through some valleys. And because of that, maybe I will struggle with fear a bit less when the next valley comes. And maybe I can extend hope to you today from the comfort that I have received.
You CAN get through the hard stuff. You CAN discover and receive really valuable.. priceless treasures, FROM your brokenness. Treasures that you would not have received without your brokenness. Certain treasures, certain valuable things that we grow into, because of our brokenness.
So, friend… may I just encourage you today? May I just remind you that hard things are inevitable. Hard things will come. And hard things are HARD.
There are seasons. A time to laugh, a time to mourn. A time to rejoice… all those things. There IS a time for them. Which is really good news. Because that means that it won’t be forever a time to mourn. There will be another “time”..another “season”.
There are also times where there are pockets in my day… like, part of my day is a time to mourn, and another part of my day is a time for rejoicing. I am grateful for that!
But, then there are seasons where the days turn into weeks and even months...and you are still in a hard “season”. Take heart...another season will come. Don’t give up, walk through it...find comfort there.
Listen, if all this restorable talk has meant something very personal to you. If you get it… if there is something inside of you that is hurting and broken and you just want to have your hand held..your heart to be held up, or you need someone to hold hope for you for a time.
Maybe you know that you need to walk through this season. You recognize your valley and you have decided that it’s time to stop ignoring it. Your tired of it nagging at you..and you want to discover treasures in it… and you would like to feel the “God of comfort” in the midst of it. But, your afraid and you don’t want to go there alone.
If this sounds like you...then I want to share with you something that God has been nudging me to do for sometime now.
At the end of February I will be hosting a “Restorable Retreat”. I will gather with approximately 20 women inside of an old farm house in Lancaster county, pa. This huge old home was once used for a farmer and his family ..but now, in its RESTORED state is being used as a beautiful bed and breakfast. This bed and breakfast has enough beds for each of us, a long enough table for us to sit around and share stories together as we eat our meals. It has 7 and half bathrooms that I’m confident we will share well. And it has a cozy living room, where we will gather and discuss on deeper levels what it means to be restored.
I will not be doing this retreat alone… I have my friend Meagan, who is a professional counselor and founder of www.takeheartcounseling.com
joining me. I will also have my friend, Terry Boch with us. Terry has written heartfelt music from her own brokenness and victories...and I just know that both of these women will be a treasure to all of us.
Our time together will be a weekend filled with nurturing, deep discussions on hope. I am planning so much for out time, including experiences to help you move forward in this whole idea of restoration. ... and I can hardly wait to share it with you!
I am going to dive deeper into what God has taught me from my brokenness and this restorable project. We are going to dig deep TOGETHER.
You will have "permission" to sit quietly and receive with us, or if you feel safe, then you will have space to share with others. We will do some hands on stuff and there will for sure be a variety of treasures for you to enjoy.
You will have "permission" to sit quietly and receive with us, or if you feel safe, then you will have space to share with others. We will do some hands on stuff and there will for sure be a variety of treasures for you to enjoy.
I am also confident that there won’t just be tears shed, but there will also be laughter. It might be a time to catch up on some much needed sleep...or possibly a time to stay up too late, because that sounds good to you. There will be twin beds, queen beds and if you're looking for a bit of cheaper ticket...then there will be some kind beds for sharing. Maybe you want a friend to come with you and share this time together!
Friend, I want YOU to have this to look forward to. In the midst of your brokenness getting you down...I want you to “take heart” because God will beat this, and He just might use our weekend together to give you a taste of what some of his victory might look like in your life, while here on earth. If this weekend sounds like the kind of nurturing you could use in your season, if you are ready to begin to invest in your hard stuff and allow that broken thing to be restored. … then hang in there… its coming ..actually really soon!
Mark your calendars for February 28 - March 1st for the Restorable Retreat getaway. And also mark your calendars for Wednesday, December 18 when tickets will be made available. AND...this is REALLY IMPORTANT...if the Restorable Retreat sounds like a time for you in your season...if your thinking that the only gift you need to receive this year is a ticket to this getaway… .then, you will need to email me at Jen@layeredphotography.com and ask for me to place you on my email list. My email subscribers will be the first to be able to purchase tickets for the Restorable Retreat.
Just lettin’ ya know...ya know?!
If you want to see where we will be staying...scroll down for pictures or head to their website at -
https://www.stoltzfusbandb.com/
Just lettin’ ya know...ya know?!
If you want to see where we will be staying...scroll down for pictures or head to their website at -
https://www.stoltzfusbandb.com/
Ok...one last thing…
If your listening today because you have a hard thing and it keeps nagging you… if you know that your in a “season”, and if you are choosing to “walk through” it.
Then, I really want to encourage you to get professional help...to not do this alone. It’s really not that big of a deal… you're not crazy, your not over-reacting to say that you would like someone to walk alongside you. I see my counselor regularly...and I love her, and I am deeply grateful for how God has used her in my life. BUT.. before you email me and ask for her contact info… I have to tell you that she is in a season of not accepting new clients..
BUT… remember my friend Meagan that I mentioned earlier? My counselor friend who will be joining us on our retreat? Well, she is offering all Hope Layer listeners a $25 discount off of their first session. If you are interested in seeing if professional therapy is a fit for you then, email Meagan@takeheartcounseling.com ,and let her know that you would like to schedule an appointment and receive the Hope Layer discount.
If your listening today because you have a hard thing and it keeps nagging you… if you know that your in a “season”, and if you are choosing to “walk through” it.
Then, I really want to encourage you to get professional help...to not do this alone. It’s really not that big of a deal… you're not crazy, your not over-reacting to say that you would like someone to walk alongside you. I see my counselor regularly...and I love her, and I am deeply grateful for how God has used her in my life. BUT.. before you email me and ask for her contact info… I have to tell you that she is in a season of not accepting new clients..
BUT… remember my friend Meagan that I mentioned earlier? My counselor friend who will be joining us on our retreat? Well, she is offering all Hope Layer listeners a $25 discount off of their first session. If you are interested in seeing if professional therapy is a fit for you then, email Meagan@takeheartcounseling.com ,and let her know that you would like to schedule an appointment and receive the Hope Layer discount.
I have come to believe that investing in your brokenness, in your heart and in your restoration is an investment for your future and for those whose lives you are influencing today. Basically...it's worth it...your worth it.
Below are some pictures that I quickly took while visiting the Bed and Breakfast. For more information, feel free to email me or keep checking in at https://www.jenminingerphotography.com/retreats
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Bobbie went from full hustle to full halt and discovered what God can do in a valley season.
It ached to hear the harsh words that she knew could be her own, yet it felt so safe and reassuring to know that God sees her and wants her to have new lyrics in her own heart.
Acknowledging the dark as well as the light feels so honest and helpful in these moments. Although, I will warn, that it can also feel raw and not always easy, YET it is a kindness to ourselves when we start with honesty, isn't it? It is both, difficult and kind.
Letting go.. or saying "no" can be SO HARD ! We don't want to, we'd rather be awesome, all the time, in all the things! BUT... is that really working for you and your people? What do you need to steward (manage, maximize or multiply) better? Do you need to let go of something so that you may better steward something of more value… for a season?
Tracy leaned into the old car unafraid of the dirt and rust that she was now touching.
As I said in an email to my Belize Trip Prayer Team.. “ I am thankful. Actually, I am dumbfounded, humbled and in awe.”
C O N T A C T
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