I’ve had friends praying this prayer for me, that God will restore or redeem the years the locusts have eaten. It’s taken from Joel 2:25. There have been a lot of years eaten in my life…

This morning I posted a link to this blog post, which I think sums up my struggle with how to seek out the ways that I’m being restored. But maybe it’s the whole point, that I am #blessed because God hears me. That the blessings flow out of the curses I’ve experienced in this life.

(And for an ironic twist, I accidentally deleted this post as I was writing, and got a message asking me if I wanted to restore the previously saved draft.)

I haven’t really been sure how to write my new version of #joydare, because making up my own hashtag #GodRestores doesn’t come with a nifty list of ways to count things that have been restored to me. But maybe the point is what can be found in Matthew 5:3-12.

• “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
• “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
• “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
• “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
• “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
• “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
• “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons^[a] of God.
•  “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
• “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

I will try to use these as ways to count the restoration God is doing in my life, asking Him to continue to guide my thoughts and actions along the way. Please pray for me during this journey, and watch for more posts on Facebook about it.