What does restore mean to you? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2022), the word restore means to “give back, return; to put or bring back into existence or use; to bring back to or put back into a former or original state: renew; to put again in possession of something.” Synonyms for restore include: recharge, refresh, regenerate, rejuvenate, renew, repair, revitalize, and revive.
Restore… is a word appearing in various places along my path in the last two weeks. During that time, I have reflected on what it means to be restored and what that looks like. This word hits my heart more profoundly in a way that gives me a visceral sense of warmth, empowering me to pick my head up once again and keep moving forward. When I close my eyes and think about what being restored looks like, I see myself being filled with life as I sit on the top of a mountain overlooking miles of beauty. Being restored to me means coming back and knowing oneself, feeling whole, grounded, loving, and fully being loved… to be so in tune with my intuition that I know when to stay and when to go.
I, like many others, struggle with this knowledge of myself on such a routine basis. Being restored is not a goal that you reach one day and keep; it is something that you work towards and have to work on every day to maintain. Like many other aspects of our health, being and staying restored is something that is made and kept through lifestyle changes and daily habits. That’s the hard part… the work! Ugh… who likes to do that part? Not me, that’s for sure! Those days, weeks, months, and seasons of life when I am overwhelmed and drop my healthy habits are when I lose my sense of self, feeling like my head has left, and my body is a shell—to me, being restored means to come back down from that state, back into my body and self.
Over the years, I have learned ways to hack into my mind when it does this and get myself back in my body. Some of those things include touching something of a unique texture, doing the dishes, going for a walk in the woods either alone or with one friend, or one of my personal favorites taking a bath. Despite how fast these things restore me, I don’t prioritize them nearly enough; something will always come up screaming urgently and take its place, depleting myself that much more. As much as I have proven my endurance and tolerance levels to expand along my travels through the hills and valleys of life, I still have yet to prove that I am not human. I have my breaking points, and they are often met. That is not saying that our thresholds are not expandable (because they most definitely are), but it takes time and grace to grow and know when to rest.
What restores you? What does being restored look like to you? As you ask yourself these questions, I pray that you find a spark of hope and life stir in your soul, knowing that better refreshed days are coming! No matter how beaten down, worn, tired, exhausted, depleted, burnt out, or weary you may feel, you deserve to be restored and stay restored!
Warmly,
~Margaret