God doesn’t discard the broken—He restores them. Discover how grief enables restoration and opens the door to healing, hope, and renewal.
When trauma strikes and you are feeling raw, remember how God works: Restoration After Wreckage. R.A.W. isn’t just a process. It’s a posture of honesty before God, where grief makes room for healing.
When a tree is struck by lightning, it doesn’t heal overnight. When a wound festers, it needs cleansing before it can close. When something breaks, we face a choice: Can it be restored? Is there hope? Or is it time to let go?
If nothing will ever change, then hope becomes impossible. And when hope disappears, suffering becomes perpetual. Without the possibility of renewal, we begin to believe that pain is permanent and healing is out of reach.
Restoration is not Repurposing
We can let go of an old appliance, sending it to be recycled—ground down into its basic elements. It may become something new, but it will never be what it was. Human bodies are like appliances. They return to the earth. But the human spirit is different. It cannot be recycled. God does not reduce it to parts to make something unrelated. That would destroy His masterpiece.
To revive a person, God doesn’t just repurpose her—He restores her. He upgrades her into a new creation, not by grinding her down, but by breathing life into what was broken.
I am creating something new. There it is! Do you see it?
Isaiah 43:19 CEV
I have put roads in deserts, streams in thirsty lands.
Because God is making us anew, hope is perpetual. You can change. You don’t have to remain stuck. God is not just patching you up—He’s rehabilitating you. He wants you to feel hopeful again. He wants you to know that your story isn’t over, and your pain isn’t wasted.
Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person.
2 Corinthians 5:17 CEV
The past is forgotten, and everything is new.
Restoration Honors the Past
The more you can leave behind your past, the better you will be. But “Leave behind” is often misunderstood. The past is your history—it’s part of you now. Erasing it is impossible and ignoring it is foolish. It must be redeemed.
Redemption requires significantly more emotional work than avoidance. It’s sacred work. It’s not about forgetting—it’s about releasing what didn’t go as you hoped and embracing what God is teaching you through it.
To move forward, you must first honor what’s behind. This can feel like two steps backward before three steps forward. It may feel counterintuitive, but healing often begins by revisiting the places we’ve tried to avoid. God meets us there—not to shame us, but to restore us.
Gardening is tough to do well. If you are like me, it’s easy to neglect controlling the weeds, diseases, and bugs. But this means some good plants die prematurely. When they die, they must be removed, so there is room to try again. Clearing space is painful, but it’s also hopeful. It means you’re preparing for something new to grow.
Grieving Enables Restoration
Grieving is the work of making space for new life. It’s not a detour—it’s the path forward.
You don’t dispose of the lessons. You learn from them.
You don’t forget what happened. You disinfect the shame and the fear.
You don’t condemn yourself. You embrace the grace.
You don’t live in despair. You live with hope everlasting.
You don’t stay stuck. You step into freedom.
Grieving allows you to carry wisdom without carrying weight. You can let go of what you lost because God is making you new. He has set you free by His mercy and grace. And once you’re free, you’re open to all that God has for you.
After grieving, you can forget the past—not by erasing it, but by releasing its power over you.
Forget what happened long ago! Don’t think about the past.
Isaiah 43:18 CEV
What is one new thing you want God to do in your life this year?
What events has God brought you through?
What wisdom did you gain from what you’ve been through?
What weight can you now let go, so you can move on?
Learn more about healthy grieving.
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Last updated 20251012
Matt Pavlik is a professional counselor, author, and devoted follower of Christ. With decades of experience in Christian counseling, he writes with theological depth and everyday clarity. His resources—centered on salvation, identity, marriage, and emotional healing—are anchored in Scripture and guide believers to discover the freedom of their identity in Christ and the security of their salvation in Him. He and his wife Georgette, married since 1999, live in Centerville, Ohio, and have four adult children.
Thank you for helping me understand my grieving process better. Sometimes I forget or take for granted the progress I have made and fall back into a repeat. His Word helps me to stay on path and do the right thing. I want to move forward in my life in healthy ways. However, I find myself reliving the same patterns or events and have to ask myself what lesson is being taught-what do I need to learn or where did I fail. It can be tiring but I am learning to see the grace and love in all of it. There truly is freedom in forgiveness.
Hi Dawn,
You’re welcome. God is patient with us as we sometimes take 2 steps forward and 1 step backward, or even 1 step forward and 2 steps backward. If you are reliving the same patterns, God is probably deepening your learning to prepare you for a better future.
Matt