I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer,  and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you.

Joel 2:25 NIV

Can anyone else relate to having a barrel of monkeys for a family?  When I was a child, my grandma’s house would be considered our “barrel.” That was where everyone showed up after work, for family meals and holidays. Tea was spilt daily, literally and figuratively. Gradually, our gatherings became quieter as all of the adults I knew and loved quit getting along. A cold war began dividing my family, and the only thing I can remember still bringing them together was “Mom,” my grandma.

Fast forward. I’m 13 years-old, sitting across from “Mom” in a Dallas Inpatient Mental Health facility. She can’t form many words together and when she does, it’s that she wants to go home. But the woman I loved more than anything on this earth could not go home yet, due to testing and treatment that had to follow a traumatic mental break. For the first time in my life, I witnessed the woman known for taking care of everyone, needing to be cared for. Family members not seen in years came into town and communicated with family again.

Though Mom’s health only declined with time, that traumatic event planted a seed for redemption and hope in my family. This is why I am thankful for the book of Joel.

Joel was a prophet who was familiar with other prophets’ warnings and teachings. I love how he writes, repenting alongside those he urges to confess sin, providing hope, and pointing to God making all things new.

As time (and Mom’s dementia) progressed, I witnessed adults in my family lean into the Word of God and forgive one another. Hear me, not a single soul would have chosen this path for us or for Mom. But through trusting in God’s Will and divine power, repentance and forgiveness, Jesus has restored what the locusts ate and what the destroyer intended for harm. As God has willed, we are now praying and living through similar experiences with my husband’s family.

Whatever you or your family has endured, mental health or no, it is not outside of God’s hope and redemption.

Lord, we know that You are good even when times or experiences don’t feel good. Give us the courage and strength to not rely on our feelings, to repent or seek forgiveness for our wrongs. Give us the strength to forgive those who have wronged us, even when they haven’t asked or we think they do not deserve it. May our actions shine Your light and hope to others.  We believe in Your ultimate restoration! Thank You for Your undying love and for restoring our place in eternity through the Son’s resurrection.

Taylor Newton