Your Mess May Be Your Message

Shame is an incredible de-motivator.

Shame whispers questions and breathes doubt into our hearts and minds, stifling our creativity and limiting what God wants to say through us to others.

Truth be told: I know this because this demon did a nasty number on me for several years.

Thankfully, I’ve done some major work on my thinking in this area and God has lavished his balm of grace to my heart and mind. Still, it is a weak spot the enemy likes to attack.

When he does I have two tools to remind me he doesn’t get to win.

First, is a little picture I keep on my desk as a constant reminder. It was a gift from a seminary professor many years ago.

The brown tape spots in the corners might bother some people, but they remind me how it has reminded me in different places and times over the years.

I found the other reminder while writing a book about the Prodigal Family. The Christian faith is full of people who understand the battle with shame. And the Book we revere, the Bible, tells their stories.

The next time you feel like God can’t use you, just remember………..

Noah was a drunk

Abraham was too old

Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Samson had long hair and was a womanizer
Rahab was a prostitute
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
David had an affair and was a murderer
Elijah was suicidal
Isaiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God
Naomi was a widow
Job went bankrupt
John the Baptist ate bugs
Peter denied Christ
The Disciples fell asleep while praying
Martha worried about everything
The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once
Zaccheus was too small
Paul was too religious
Timothy had an ulcer

…AND
Lazarus was dead!

Now, no more excuses.
God can use you to your full potential.
Besides you aren’t the message,
You are just the messenger.

I wish I knew who wrote this. I would like to thank them.

There are many ways to use the ugly, shame-filled parts of our lives to bring healing and redemption.

You mess may be your message. Will you be the messenger?