The Reconstituted Heart

Lessons on Self Care and Spiritual Renewal

The name of this little blog is a mouthful, but I promise, it was on purpose.

I can only imagine the looks of confusion as readers trip over the word - Reconstituted what? What does that even mean? How do you pronounce it?

If you've ever described your existence as withered, dried up, or lifeless, you are not alone!

Life has it's ups and downs, for sure, but at some point we find ourselves running on fumes. All the life sucked out of us, and all that is left is a threadbare shell of brittle bones, shriveled up tendons and muscles, clutching a to-do list in one hand and doom scrolling with the other.

Motherhood, marriage, career, illness, trauma... you name it. Life has a way of depleting us.

For me it was all the things competing to take me down, as if motherhood and my career had a good laugh while depression triumphantly thrust the victory flag into my tattered heart.

There was no collapse. No toppled-over-and-can't-get-up moment. Just a day-in-day-out weariness that life in survival mode brings.

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't all bad; there was so much I was grateful for. But somewhere in the thick of cooking dinner one night, toddlers toddling at my ankles, I thought about how dried-up I felt... like freeze-dried strawberry or a noodle left out on the stove all night.

And God whispered, like he so often does, reminding of two things: he saw me, and he is in the business of restoration.

Reconstituted Heart: a seedling of an idea

To reconstitute means to restore something dried (especially food) to its original state by adding water to it. To rehydrate. Rejuvenate. Reinvigorate. Refresh.

And my soul sure needed refreshing.

Wouldn't ya know... Jesus (literally!) calls himself water.

He is the water for our dried-up souls.

He says (about himself) in John 4:14:

"... whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Not only does he promise to refresh our dried-up souls, but he tells us his presence keeps us refreshed and rejuvenated.

Reconstituted. Back to the way we were meant to be.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 says,

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

In the kitchen that night, I would have laughed at this verse. It did not, in any way, shape or form, reflect my heart and life.

A Life Reconstituted

Still, God speaks. As I stood over the stove, I imagined myself all shriveled up, sitting in a pool of water, a river, water splashing all over me. I pictured my shriveled-up cells coming back to life again, full and plump and healthy.

Of all the pictures God has given me - and he's given me a lot - that is the one I knew I wanted to model my life after.

I hope the words on this little blog will also proclaim the goodness of God - the way his presence refreshes and restores our soul.

Blessings!

A question for the reader: How has God refreshed your soul? What truths has he spoken over you? Are there any verses or songs that you keep returning back to that could be an encouragement to others?