Qualified-August 31

Over the last few weeks we’ve talked a lot about telling your story, and we’ve encouraged you to go out and share it even when it’s uncomfortable. But why does sharing our story feel so scary sometimes? We could be afraid of making a moment awkward, or maybe we fear the rejection that could come from telling our story. It is scary to step into an uncomfortable situation, into uncharted territory, where we don’t know how those who hear will respond to us and our life.

But underneath all of that, I think what can make sharing feel so scary is knowing that part of our story is messy and ugly. We all have that part of our story. That one (or maybe two… or three…) thing that you just don’t want people to know about. Sometimes the ugly things are a result of our own sinful choices. Sometimes life gets ugly when others make sinful choices that affect us. Our story can start to feel ugly when certain things we want to happen don't. Or when things we don’t want to happen do. The truth is, hard things happen to all of us whether we want them to or not, and we don’t always respond in the healthiest ways. We all have that one part that is hard to share.

But the beautiful thing is that God. Uses. It. ALL!

There’s an anonymous quote that is floating around the internet, you may have seen it before. It says, “Jacob was a cheater, Peter had a temper, David had an affair, Noah got drunk, Jonah ran from God, Paul was a murderer, Gideon was insecure, Miriam was a gossiper, Martha was a worrier, Thomas was a doubter, Sarah was impatient, Elijah was depressed, Moses stuttered, Zaccheus was short, Abraham was old, and Lazarus was dead… God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the Called!”

Every single person that God has ever used has had some sort of trial or struggle that they’ve had to walk through in their story. You are not alone in walking through the hard, messy things of life.
Thank God that He still delights to use us in the middle of the mess! It is through our weaknesses, our ugly, messiness, that God's power and goodness and kindness is seen in us (2 Corinthians 12:9). Those ugly parts of our story produce in us endurance. Endurance produces character. And that character produces hope (Romans 5:3-5). Hope in Jesus. Hope in the freedom, life, peace, and joy that comes through Him. Hope of life after death that we will get to spend with Him forever.

So have courage, my friend! Share the messy parts! And know that in doing so, God will be glorified. Remember, the ugly part of our story that makes us afraid to share is the very thing that God wants to use to bring others to know Him.