God Uses Broken People—and He Wants to Use You

God will use the hard parts of your story to comfort, encourage, and inspire others.

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My early twenties were tumultuous. I was angry with God and decided to live for myself instead of living for him.  After a few tough years, I realized I wasn’t cultivating the life I wanted for myself.  I returned to God with a humble heart and asked him to help me put my life back together.  Slowly, God began the restorative work of healing my heart.  I also began to realize that God uses broken people to fulfill his purposes.

When I first returned to the Lord, I felt disqualified from ministering to others.

I remember sharing my feelings with a mentor who looked straight into my eyes and said, “Stacey, God will use the hard parts of your story to minister to others in powerful ways.”

 

God Uses Broken People

Decades later, I can attest that my mentor was right. God has used the most painful parts of my story to minister to young women who are facing similar situations. In fact, the hard parts of my story are the precise reason some of the women in my life have decided to trust me.

Nobody wants to share their dirt with someone who is perfect. The women in my life know I’ve made mistakes. Because I’m willing to offer them glimpses into God’s healing work in my life, they offer me the gift of transparency about their lives.

I share this humbly.  I share it to encourage every person who feels too broken to be used by God.

God uses broken vessels.

 

Our Difficulties Equip Us to Comfort Others

The hard parts of my current story include career disappointments, parenting failures, fear, anxiety, and more. When I start to question God’s purpose for these troubles, I remind myself that he will use these parts of my story to encourage and comfort others as well.  Second Corinthians 1:4 tells us that God wants us to comfort others with the same comfort we first received from him.

God will use the hard parts of your story to comfort, encourage, and inspire others, too. Revelation 12:11 reminds us that we overcome the enemy by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.  Your story matters and God wants to use it—even the imperfect parts—to minister to others.

 

Weakness Is the Perfect Platform for God to Make His Power Known

A few months ago, I wrote about the morning after our first child was born.  As I held my baby in the hospital room, God reminded me of nine short words: “For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).

I knew God wasn’t asking me to equip myself for the calling of motherhood.  He wasn’t calling me to perfection or self-sufficient strength; instead, he was teaching me to trust him.  He reminded me that he would give me all I needed to care for our child.

That moment in the hospital took place more than twelve years ago, but I remember it often.  It has become an anchor on my journey of parenthood.  Every time I start to doubt my ability to raise my children, I remind myself that my weakness is the perfect platform for God to show up in his power.  He provides all I need for every step of this journey.

God is not calling you to hold your world together either.  You might feel weak and entirely insufficient in some realm of your life. You might feel like you’ve messed up too much or are too broken to minister to others.

If this is you, seek healing through pastoral care, counseling, and a community of loving people.  Let God begin the work of healing your heart.  But remember this: Your weakest areas are the precise places where God is waiting to move and make his power known.

God is inviting you to new levels of trust.  He is allowing this weakness so that you can experience his power and encounter him in new ways.

 

This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Stacey Pardoe

Featured Image by Christopher Sardegna on Unsplash

The views and opinions expressed by Kingdom Winds Collective Members, authors, and contributors are their own and do not represent the views of Kingdom Winds LLC.

About the Author

Stacey Pardoe is a Kingdom Winds Contributor. Stacey's hope is that her words will inspire you to seek God in the midst of your ordinary moments and encounter his love in deeper ways.

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