I recently had the experience of restoring my daughter’s smashed-in rear bumper to its original position after a wreck she was involved in. This was done the old fashion way.

We tied the bumper to heavy chain, wrapped the chain to a big tree, and put the car on drive. After three taps, snaps, and a whiplash the job was done.

If you’re like me, sometimes you feel totally wrecked. You may have been on a collision course with someone at work and you finally met head on. Now you’re left with the emotional aches and pains from the encounter. Or you may have crashed right into the midlife crisis wall (as I did when I hit 30) and you realize that age is inevitably creeping up on you and that your dreams may never come to pass. Ouch! I’ve been there.

Feeling wrecked can be attributed to the result of poor choices, life in a bad relationship, and many other things.

The sheer ugliness of being wrecked within is that only you can feel the damage in your soul/heart. You need restoration.

My buddy Dylan owns Big Nasty Motorshop (photo above). He takes vehicles that are messed up or old and faded and with the skill of a plastic surgeon restores them back to amazing.

Being repaired from the inside out is not easy but doable. Here are some tips I’ve found helpful when I’m feeling badly wrecked that may work for you as well.

Get in touch with a true friend.

There are those you call friends that somehow make you feel worse about life. Stay away from them.

True friends, on the other hand, know everything about you and love you anyway. They make you laugh when your world looks bleak.

Someone said that true friends are those who, when you have made a fool of yourself, don’t think you have done a permanent job. Get in touch with a person like that. An unresolved wrecked feeling can lead into despair. Also, and most importantly,

Go to Jesus.

The Lord’s advice for the wrecked is radical,

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out…? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. (Matthew 11:28 The Message)

Jesus is like a huge Rock with a spiritual chain wrapped around to pull out of you whatever mental part of you that has been temporarily damaged.

The Lord is a Master life-craftsman with the tools and the talent. His heavenly shop should be called Big Gentle Restorations and Renewals. He will lovingly bring your mind back to focus and get you going once again. Go to Him with your dented hopes and dreams. One more thing,

Do something good and positive even if you don’t feel like it.

An negative outcome of feeling wrecked is the tendency to become inactive, of feeling that you can do nothing right.

I’ve had cars that were totaled never to be driven again. A couple of other ones were not drivable and in serious need of repair.

Concerning life and feeling down, remember that,

Inactivity because of negativity results in zero productivity (Tweet that). And we are never more miserable than when we feel like junk and of no value to anyone.

Refuse to slump down on your chair thinking, “What’s the use?” Force yourself into doing something that’s worthwhile.

Feeling badly wrecked may be totally normal but remaining that way is entirely unacceptable. Get restored and move forward.

Do you own anything that has been restored and now looks amazing? What is it? Please leave a comment.