Restoration: The God Who Makes All Things New

 In this heartfelt episode of Unrelated Sisters: Truth & Grace Conversation, Shannon and Deb dive into the hope-filled promise of restoration. No matter what has been broken, lost, or stolen, God is a Restorer who makes all things new. From personal testimonies of healing and redemption to powerful scriptures that remind us of His faithfulness, this conversation will encourage you to trust God in your own restoration story. Whether you are waiting for breakthrough, celebrating answered prayers, or walking through a season of rebuilding, you’ll find hope, strength, and refreshment for your soul.

Encouragement for Listeners

Sister, no season of your life is wasted. What feels lost is not gone forever—God can redeem it, restore it, and even make it better than before. Your scars don’t disqualify you; they testify of His healing. Take heart: the same God who restored Job, healed broken hearts, and renewed nations is at work in your story right now. Lean into His timing, and remember that restoration is not just about getting back what was lost—it’s about God making all things new.

 Prayer for Followers to Say

“Father, thank You that You are the God of restoration. I give You the broken pieces of my life, and I trust You to make something beautiful out of them. Restore my hope where it has grown weary, my joy where it has faded, and my faith where it feels fragile. Heal what has been wounded, redeem what was lost, and remind me that nothing is too hard for You. I believe that You are making all things new in my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Key Bible Verses on Restoration

• Joel 2:25–26 – “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten… You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you.”
• Psalm 23:3 – “He restores my soul; He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”
• 1 Peter 5:10 – “And the God of all grace… will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast.”
• Revelation 21:5 – “He who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’”

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:02

Lord, we love you today. We just thank you for this opportunity to sow into the lives, Lord, of every listener, God. And I just pray that you would speak through me and Shannon as we talk about the exciting week that I've had. And Lord, I just pray that we just be a blessing to everyone that is listening today. In Jesus' name. Amen.

SPEAKER_00: 0:21

Amen. Welcome back to Unrelated Sisters Truth and Grace Conversation. I'm Shannon and I'm here with my sister Deb. And today we're talking about something so close to our hearts. We want to talk about restoration.

SPEAKER_01: 0:38

Yeah, so um I wanted to speak on restoration today because you know it's really been on my heart really all week. I've got a lot going on. And I was even looking up the this verse in Joel where it talks about I'll restore to you the years that this woman locust has eaten. So he's talking about, you know, I will restore the years that the enemy that we squandered away, things that uh even that we done on our own. And um, you know, when when God restores something in your life, He restores it back to its original intent. Like, you know, just like when you restore a car, right? And it goes, they restore it back to its original intent. So um, you know, a lot of you know my testimony, I didn't wasn't really a part of my kids' life like I should be. I missed out on, I feel like all their first days of kindergarten graduations. Um, I don't really remember a whole lot of the bonding time with them um through my drug and alcohol use. And so what you know, I really wandered away 20 years, really, of my life that, you know, I I thought, well, I'll never be able to get this back. And you know, and a lot of times when you're trying to do right and you've surrendered your life back to God, that's one of the things that goes through the back of your mind, you're like, what if, what if I'd have done this different, then this wouldn't happen, or what you know, I missed out on so much of my kids' life. Like, I I'll never get that back. Well, I did miss out on a lot of my kids' life. That and that's probably one of the biggest things that bothered me the most is not being able that I wasn't the mom that I should have been. But um, I remember driving on the road, and I think I have shared this on one of the other podcasts, and I was thinking, like, because I feel like I'm a good mom and really good GG today, and uh, I was thinking, man, what if I had been the mom today that I am, a GG to my grandkids? And so in that moment, I could feel that guilt and that shame coming on, and so immediately I was like, Lord, I thank you that I'm the GG and the mom that I am today. You know, I can't take none of that back, but I thank you that I am who I am today. Because I in that little moment, I could have like creeped back into depression or you know, the things like the enemy likes to do. But um, I'm so thankful that it restore that God does restore all those things back. And so I got a new grandbaby this week, um, number 17. Woohoo! That's a lot. Yeah, 11 from my four girls. Praise the Lord. Uh, we took that verse uh literal when it says go and replenish the earth. Oh, yes, yes, y'all do.

SPEAKER_00: 3:14

You go multiple.

SPEAKER_01: 3:15

Uh so not really. Um, I was able to be in the the um birthing room, and I got to cut the cord and do all the things, and I literally stayed in the hospital like I was the dad, but uh I wasn't, I was the Gigi, and so I got to bond with the baby, and so I really felt like in that moment the Lord restored some things back for me. Um, I mean, I have an awesome relationship with my kids today. I have almost five years clean, and in those five years, the Lord has restored so much back my marriage, my relationship with my kids. Uh, the main thing is my sanity. Uh, I told everybody at work last week, I'm like, I'm off all week, and um, I get to go get this new grandbaby, and I told several people, I said, I've never been this me before. You know what I mean? Ever. Like I've never been this version of me. And so I was super excited to be able to share that with my new grandbaby and like give it all the love and all the things. And so I'm I'm just super grateful today.

SPEAKER_00: 4:15

Well, first and foremost, y'all can't see her, but her face is so glowing. Like she is so excited, and and you know, and it has to feel really good, right? To be able to know that you're there, right? And kids and your family and your children, your grandchildren, they really just want presence, right? That's all they want, you know, and restoration isn't just about giving back what was lost, it's about God making things better. You know, in Psalms 23, he says, He restores my soul. That's not just fixing, it's renewing, refreshing, and making us whole again. So, in some parts, getting to be the Gigi, not the mom that you were, you know, it's restoring that part of that whole, that, you know, that shame and that guilt that was there, you know. And your child, I think your children understand where you came from. You know, they, you know, they lived in it. And I and I kind of feel the same way when it comes to my daddy, like we're not where y'all are at yet, right? But but we're but we're working on it, right? And um, and I feel like you know we can we can get there, you know. Revelations 21, 5, Jesus says, Behold, I am making all things new. And that's his heart for our lives, our families, for even, you know, even the scars that we carry with us. And it makes you wonder sometimes, you know, people, I've been uh our our TikTok feed has just been full of all these people, you know, especially uh, you know, the events of the last month of people going to church for the first time, or people buying a Bible for the first time, or people talking about their um, you know, I'm 20 days clean, I'm 40 days clean, I'm 365 days clean, you know, and restoration is happening all around us in the in the world, I feel like, and in and in everything around us, but we can't lose sight of where we're headed, right? In our in our personal uh restoration. And sometimes it makes you wonder, right? You were talking about the verse in Job, and you know, God restored so much for him in in the Bible, you know, he restored his sight, uh, his dignity, you know, his life, you know, and and when you're coming out of addiction, he restores all that for you because you see things differently, right? You restore your sight, not because you're blind, but because looking in uh I've seen this on TikTok, but uh seeing the world through a toddler's eyes or through a baby's brand new eyes, you know, is amazing in the things that they see.

SPEAKER_01: 7:19

Yeah, it's good. You know, Kelsey was telling me this week, she was like, Mom, because I was telling her, like, I'm so proud of you, you know, where you're at today and what you're doing. She was like, Mom, you've been amazing to be here. And so hearing that made me so proud because I feel like I've let them down so much. Right. And so um, that was part of restoration. That was important, some healing for me, being able to be present, like you're saying. A lot of times we think I parental a lot, like I would like try to buy stuff instead of being pregnant. Like all they wanted me to do was take them to the park, right? Be consistent, uh, spend quality time. And so when I didn't do those things, um, you know, it it does if it discards you, it you know, but God restored all that back. And I feel like today that um my kids are proud of me. You know, that's the one thing I wanted. I like I want them to be proud. And they've told me that all week. Mommy did so good, like you, you know, we're you know, we're so proud of where you're at today. And that's how God does. He restores it back just how it's even better, even better, right?

SPEAKER_00: 8:21

Because the what if, and that is such to be a six-letter word, what if, right, in the English language, is probably the biggest word in the English language when it comes to meaning, right? Because if we live in the what ifs, we're never gonna see what's ahead. Yeah. The now. The now. Yeah, right.

unknown: 8:45

The now.

SPEAKER_00: 8:46

Yeah. You know, God restores different things, and he and there's things that you can do to help you through uh restoration, you know, and how God restores us. And um, one of them is through his word. Psalms 19:7 says, the law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. And um, I've been uh listening to a lot of new people uh this this week on or this last couple weeks on YouTube. I've been listening to uh pastor uh Anthony um Philip Mitchell, uh he's the pastor of 2019, church 2019 in Atlanta, and he's very very raw, right? He uh he used to be a drug dealer, you know, and he's been restored, and now he runs one of the biggest churches in Atlanta. But when he talks, everything he says, he says, Well, let's see what the Bible says, right? Um, and then and he'll ask his congregation, which I find amusing, he'll be like, Do you want my opinion or do we want to see what the Bible says? You know, and and a lot of people like to offer their opinion. Well, and it's so much easier to offer your opinion, right, than it is to read the Bible. The law of the Lord is perfect. And then you get those people that are like, Well, you know, in the law of the Lord, it says that women can't dress as men, it says that women can't teach the Bible, it says that women can't, but all of those can'ts were before the blood was covered on the cross for us, right? And if you truly think about the day and age that we're talking about, uh men didn't wear pants, they wore robes, right? Like back in Jesus' day, they wore robes, they didn't wear pants, so just because I wear pants doesn't make me any less, right? So I find that I'm that's the kind of things that I've been uh listening to lately, and I find it invigorating that people are just talking about it, right? Because that's restoration in our in our country. I feel like whether it's right or wrong, you know, people are talking about the Bible, they're talking about God's law, they're talking about registration, a restoration. And I think, you know, in Revelations it says about the end of times coming, you know, and uh people predicting the end of times. It's been weird lately. But through your community, James 5:16 tells us to confess and pray with one another so we can be healed. And I think when you're in restoration and when you are finding your way uh with Jesus, that community is the big, very, very important. But finding the right community, right? You need and it needs to be, you know, if what they say, you know, is it what God says? You know, does it hurt anybody in the process, you know? Um, but what does the Bible say about it? You know, uh James 5.16 tells us to confess and pray with one another so we can be healed. Confess and pray. Right? And uh, I feel like that's what we do here every day, um, every time we get together.

SPEAKER_01: 12:11

I like that quote that says, um, you can't get you can't get healed in the same environment where you got sleep. That's right. And that's so important. So so many people try to, they don't want to come out of that environment. They get their restoration. You know what I mean? They want to get healed, but they say right in the same community wherever they're at.

SPEAKER_00: 12:28

Yeah, and you know, and when you've been in it for a long time and that's all that you know, it's hard to walk away, right? But at the end of the day, when I walked away from all of it, and this includes my family that is still getting high today, the only person I have one friend that I used to get high with that I'm still friends with today. And but we didn't see or talk to each other for 10 years, probably, you know, but God brought us back together when we were both to a place that we that was safe for us to be together. But, you know, and it's it's hard. It's hard, you know, it's hard to find, and then finding your place, you know, we've I've talked about it. I don't feel like I fit in the people that went to church every day of their life and and worshiped God every day of their life, and I don't feel like I fit in with the people, you know, that are just starting their journey, you know, and I don't feel like I fit in, but at the end of the day, it's like you were saying earlier that I'm who they can be, right? You know, telling my story, showing where I'm at today, talking freely about what I've been through and where I'm at and what God has done for me. Because everything I have is all because of God. And it didn't come because I quit doing drugs, it didn't come because I decided to start going to church. It didn't come, you know, it came when I truly laid everything at his feet and I truly gave in to him. And that's when my life changed. And I'd been going to church, I don't know, two or three years before that. Um, before that truly came to me, you know, but through his presence in Isaiah 61, 3, uh, he gives us beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Wow.

SPEAKER_01: 14:29

I love that. You know, Sekid, too. I know that the Lord has restored some things in me because I don't know if this happened before before our last podcast, but uh so Orin, my little boy, his birth mom came home from prison. So he hasn't been around her for like five years, so that was really hard for me. Like I had a lot of mixed emotions, like, but I wanted that restoration for her. I like I had it was only right. Right. So there was a part of me that really wanted that bird, and then there was a part of me that wanted to be selfish and be like, I just keep him here with me. You know what I mean? Right. But that wasn't the right thing. So I even me and Kevin had a conversation on that Sunday before we took him to see her. You know, he was sitting his way about some things. I said, listen, we have to give her the same grace that God has shown us.

SPEAKER_00: 15:18

Right.

SPEAKER_01: 15:18

And in order for there to be restoration, like we have to be able to be in right standing, right? Like we can't be selfish or you know, of course, we have to protect him and have healthy boundaries, but at the same time, we have to give her the opportunity to have that restoration as well, because you know, she doesn't have any of her kids, and um this is her, she was like, This is my last chance, you know, he's my youngest one. Uh, because then I, you know, she doesn't have access to the rest of them, and I'm like, so my mama heart was like, Well, you know, God can change me, he can change her. And then the back piece of me was like, but what if he loves her more? You know, just crazy, you can have a couple of things. Oh yeah, the enemy's whispering, I'm sure. So I would cry the night before I took him, but it was almost, it was just because it was like uncertainty. Right. But him and uh Kevin talked to me and he was like, You'll always be my mom, but I didn't want him to feel that way either. I didn't want him to feel like uh he had to choose because that's not fair either. Right. I mean it wasn't fair to him, it wasn't fair to her, really isn't fair to me. But Kevin, he don't really like he he don't process things like that, so I had to kind of break it down for him. And I'm like, look, uh, we have to give her the opportunity to, you know, have that same because at the end of the day, if she does right, and she my my biggest thing would be Lord let her see you in us, and right let our change be so great and let your life sound so big to us because she sees she knows she knows how we were in our past, so she's not got to see this version of us, me or you. I want her to want that, right? You know what I mean? And then then he can be have all of us, which is complete restoration, right?

SPEAKER_00: 17:07

Right, for him, for sure, you know, and it's hard, it was okay, hard, you know.

SPEAKER_01: 17:16

Because I I want to be intentional and I told her if I feel so proud of you, and because I want to be intentional, and I want to encourage her, and I want her to see Christ in me.

SPEAKER_00: 17:25

Right. Well, and you also know that you know where she's at. Yeah, the devil is whispering in her ear about how bad of a mom she is, about how she's gonna screw it up, you know.

SPEAKER_01: 17:39

Okay, so I can restore that, right?

SPEAKER_00: 17:42

And and and so right, and so she's already you know where she's at, right? Like she is living in a halfway house.

SPEAKER_01: 17:49

But she's home now.

SPEAKER_00: 17:50

Oh, so she's completely home now, but you know what I mean? Yeah, but one choice, one decision, one bad night could lose it, she could lose it all. So she needs that voice of registration, you know, she needs that voice of I'm proud of you. She needs that voice of encouragement, she needs that voice to know that she can come from it, right? And and we were, you know, um, we were talking about the next podcast, and um that's uh that's where you're at, you know, giving that grace and and and you know, answering those prayers of restoration. Well, that's one of your prayers, but it's definitely not one way that you've seen it.

SPEAKER_01: 18:34

No, uh about a month ago, uh I don't want to come home and have to compete with you. And I was like, wow, you don't have to compete in no I'm not at low-key saying you'd never be able to compete with me. Uh if you're listening to this, but um like I don't want her to feel like that.

SPEAKER_00: 18:57

Right.

SPEAKER_01: 18:57

There's no don't come home, you know.

SPEAKER_00: 18:59

Because if you come home thinking like that already, then you're already one foot in the grave. Yeah, right?

SPEAKER_01: 19:04

No, we're not gonna do that.

SPEAKER_00: 19:05

Like you're already one foot stepping off the cliff.

SPEAKER_01: 19:08

So I'm like, Lord, I take any kind of pride because I because pride can rise up in you. Oh, yeah. There's a lot of things the Lord's been showing me. Like, and I'm like, well, where did that come from? Like, that's not that's not a V word, you know what I mean? Like, I don't like I don't want to be like that. And I've really had that he really worked on me in this area in this um humbling me, you know what I mean. And I've and I'm proud to say that I um I'm I'm doing better, you know what I mean? And today I was like, she uh offered for me to go with them job in today, and I was like, you know, me and my friends, you know, we're doing podcasts, but maybe next time you enjoy your time with him. And so I feel like she is trying to like connect and you know, and I feel like that this is part of I'm a piece of her restoration.

SPEAKER_00: 19:53

You are, you are. Uh and you're you're probably the best part of her community, yeah. Right? I mean, she's been gone for five years. She don't really know anybody, you know, because most of the people are either dead or in prison, right? That that she used to connect with, I'm assuming, you know. Um, but you know, registr restoration takes time. You know, it's like building a house, uh, a house being rebuilt. You have to do it brick by brick, piece by piece, choice by choice. You know, God restores layer by layer, his patience is with us, you know. So I right now I just want to encourage our sister, our listeners, if you're in the middle of waiting for restoration, don't lose hope. Restoration is coming, even if you don't see it yet, right? God, he's there, you know, and and we've talked about it in in the past, you know, I've talked about it that where I was at and how I came out of it, he hadn't been standing there patiently waiting on me to say, okay, I'm done. God, I give it to you, right? He had to have been standing there like next to me, you know, and I've been uh another in the fire, uh, the song. I've been like listening to it on repeat for the last couple weeks, you know, because he's there. He's standing next to you in the middle of the fire and waiting on you to say, okay, I'm ready. It's all you, so he can carry you out.

SPEAKER_01: 21:23

I remember feeling like at the beginning, like where I am today seemed like so far away, and it seemed like it just wasn't reachable. But as a the Lord taught me to be patient and a lot, you know, and then to just keep doing the right thing. Just keep doing the right thing. And uh that's what I told her. I was like, just keep doing the right thing. My girls didn't just come around overnight. Right at all. I said, just keep doing the right thing. Because he wasn't speaking there at first. And I'm like, just keep doing the right thing, keep showing up, keep being consistent, and gotta work it out.

SPEAKER_00: 21:55

And you know, and not being one of those children, that's really all we want, right? Like, I don't want to chase you to be a part of my life. Yeah, and I'm not going to. You know, I'm 49 years old, my kids grown, I'm married, I'm happy, my life is my life is peaceful and consistent. I'm not gonna chase my parent to be a part of my life, especially one that chose the path that they chose, right? And and I don't say that to be mean, I don't say that to be ugly, I don't say that to hurt your feelings if you're listening, daddy. But I'm not gonna call you every day. I'm not gonna call you every week, you know. Um, I might drop you a text when I think about you, but 90% of the time I'm not gonna do that. You know, and it's like that first year, you know, you were like, he told me it hurt his feelings because I didn't take Steam Happy Father's Day. I said, I hadn't had a father in 15 years. We don't, my son doesn't have a father, so we haven't celebrated Father's Day in 20 years. Like it's nothing special to us, right? It's just another day. Um, and he's like, Well, you don't celebrate, you know, your husband's dad. And I was like, Well, they come over once a week and have dinner, right? I don't have to call them, they call me and say, Hey, what day are you free? Can we, you know, they're coming over tonight. I'm not gonna chase somebody to be a part of my life. I'm just not. I'm not gonna do it. Um, I'm happy with where I'm at, you know. And when and this may sound mean, and I apologize if it does, but when you are when you're that child and you've grown up in this and you've gone through it, then you wait for the other shoe to drop, right? And if you're not being consistent with it as the parent that's trying to become a part of their life again, then they feel like it's just repeat over and over again. You know, and I don't know what to say about that, but you know, we're just gonna let that go there.

SPEAKER_01: 23:52

But God is good, and he is restorative all things.

SPEAKER_00: 23:54

He is, and he can. Uh, so here's a question for you to reflect on this week. Where in your life do you need restoration? Is it in your health, your marriage, your finances, your faith, or even just your own heart? You know, write it down, pray over it. Write it on your mirror, journal it in your journal, uh, write it on a sticky note, and then look for the little signs that God is already beginning to work. And thank him. Thank him for the small things, right? Uh because his promise, what the enemy meant for harm, he will turn for good.

SPEAKER_01: 24:33

That's my favorite verse. So true. And he'll turn it up for the game.

SPEAKER_00: 24:38

He will. He will 100%. So let me leave you with this first Peter 5 10. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast. Amen.

SPEAKER_01: 25:00

Because that's his heart for you to be restored and made whole. Hopeless, nothing missing, nothing lacking.

SPEAKER_00: 25:05

That's right.

unknown: 25:07

Yes.

SPEAKER_01: 25:08

Father, we thank you that you are the God of restoration for every woman listening today who feels broken, weary, or lost. Lord, remind her that you make all things new. Lord, I pray that you'd restore marriages, restore health, restore joy, restore faith. Thank you for all the scars that remind us where you have healed us. We trust you to finish the work that you have started. In Jesus' name. Amen.

SPEAKER_00: 25:32

Amen. And thank you for joining us today. Remember, no matter what you've lost, our God is in the business of restoring. Yes, he is. We love you, and we'll see you next time on Unrelated Sisters, Fruits, and Grace Conversations.