Restoration

Webster's defines restoration as, "The act of restoring or bringing back to a former place, station, or condition." "Renew" is defined, "To become new or as new." When one typically talks about putting a marriage back together, they talk about "restoration" or "restoring" the marriage. That would assume that the goal is to take the marriage back to where it was before it was broken. That also assumes, of course, that the marriage was whole to begin with. That assumes that there was a point in time during which the marriage was not broken. What if that is not the case? What if there isn't a "before" to which to restore the marriage? Don't get me wrong. That doesn't imply that there weren't good times, but what if the root cause of what BROKE the marriage has always been there? Then what do you do? Then, to what do you "restore" the marriage? Does that mean one just gives up? It has always been broken and therefore can never be fixed? No. Philippians 1:6 says, "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion..." I don't believe that he would leave two believers who were joined in marriage "hanging". I believe that with hope those two believers (if they are in agreement) can bring their marriage to a far better place than restoration. Why restore when you can make new? Revelation 21:5 says, "...Behold I make all things new..." I don't want restoration for our marriage. I want it to be made new. I don't want our marriage to be as good as it was before. I want it to be better than it has ever been. I don't want restoration. I want renewal.