RESTORATION AS PROMISED

We all have taken various paths throughout our lives.  The only commonality is that we arrived at a point in our lives where we knew we could no longer do it by ourselves.  As a result, we turned to the only One who could help us in our despair…the Lord Jesus Christ.  
While many of us may have been dragged down into the depths of despair without a choice, mine was different.  I made my own choices, and, in many cases, they were the wrong ones to make.  You see, I was a moderately successful white-collar worker (an accountant) with a wife, two young boys and a house with the proverbial picket fence.  In short, I had it all… except God.  I was content with my sin.  Until it all came crashing down.  
Although I seemingly had it all, I could not get away from sin.  I betrayed my vows to my wife and became an adulterer.  When she found out, instead of trying to repair what I had damaged, I opted for divorce.  The bruja (yes, she really was) and I moved in together.  Less than 4 months later, I lost my job as an accountant.  With no formal degree, trying to get a job was impossible for me.  So, I worked in retail and in restaurants to make ends meet.  Within 6 months, I had lost a wife, a family, a home, vehicles (repossessed) and a career.  
I ended up marrying the bruja.  From there things went downhill even faster.  Not only was I an adulterer, but I became a liar and a thief.  Of course, the home life was not good, either.  Constant bickering and fighting.  She continued to be an adulteress, too.  (Although I decided that I wasn’t going to do that again.) 
I had lost everything.  I hit rock bottom.  It was only then that I cried out to God.  
Joel 2:25 gives the promise that “I will restore to you the years the locust has eaten.”  And man, were my fields bare!  
After giving my life to Christ, my actions prior began to catch up to me.  I was fired from retail for theft.  Fortunately, the company declined to prosecute.  I was able to get a job as a night auditor at a hotel.  This suited me since, during the early morning “down-times,” I was able to begin reading the Word.  And man…I was HUNGRY!  
During this time, I got in contact with an old friend.  A woman I had dated almost 3 decades prior.  She was (and still is) an ordained minister.  She counseled me for a couple of months via social media.  She told me that I needed to come to Texas, because there were a lot of jobs available, and I would have no problem finding work.  I prayed and prayed because that would be a major step in faith, one that I had never made before.  After about 6 weeks of praying, I decided that God had put this woman in my life again for a reason and that, with faith, all would be okay.  I talked with my two sons, who were now teenagers, and got their blessing.  I also promised them that things would be different from now on.  
So, on March 6, 2016, I packed a light bag, told the bruja I was leaving, and flew to Texas.  I left Florida with that small duffel bag of clothes and only $5 – yes, FIVE DOLLARS – in my pocket.  
After arriving, I was blessed to stay with my minister friend until I could find work.  She said there were jobs here, and she was right.  Within six weeks, I had begun working again as an accountant. (RESTORATION NUMBER 1). As I had promised my children, things were different.  I flew them out to Texas for a 3 week visit that first Christmas after I moved here.  Praise God, my relationship with them was being repaired!  (RESTORATION NUMBER 2).
I divorced the bruja as soon as I could, so that I could move on without any baggage.  After the divorce, my minister friend and I began to see each other beyond that of friends.  She and I married in January 2017.  I was honored to have both of my boys standing next to me at the altar as we said, “I do.” (RESTORATION NUMBER 3).
In May 2017, my wife and I closed on a house.  This was the first time I had ever had a NEW house.  (RESTORATION NUMBER 4)
Ever since that day in August 2015, when I got down on my knees and cried out to Him, I have known peace.  I have known love.  I experienced forgiveness. I have been blessed, even beyond that which I deserve.  But most importantly, I now know Him.  I know that He has been with me even when I was at my lowest. 
I have been restored.  But even better than that…
I am REDEEMED by the blood of the Lamb. 

Chris “Bro. Blimp” Harrell
Least of Saints – Austin, TX