God uses it all… even your rough stuff.

“Trust Me?” God asks. 
You slowly nod. 
“You know I’m FOR YOU, right?” 
“Well yeah, I think.” 
“Listen, I know that you are going through a rough time right now, but I meant it when I said I work everything out for good in your life when you love me.” 

[Need more on God’s promise to work things out for good? Did you read or listen to A Winning Mindset? Check it out: Http://www.pastorwoman.com/ReadArchive.aspx?id=2767] 

It is true--I have found that God uses everything—our strengths, talents, education, and the tough stuff—even the stuff we do not want anyone else to know. Learned along the way is empathy, and the bond that comes out of shared experiences; both foster compassion and knock down our propensity to judge others. Underneath it all, we carry the knowledge that God will ultimately work it for good in our lives. I think of Joseph from the Old Testament, (Genesis 37-50), who was betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery because they wanted ‘the favored one’ out of their lives. Joseph’s difficulties continued upon his eventual arrival in Egypt, and being raised in the palace though he was a Hebrew. Yet God used it all to shape the man of God he became—a man with the most unique purpose in all the land. 

I think of Moses, who God called to go to pharaoh and ask that his people, the Israelites, be set free. Moses let God know, in no uncertain terms, that he was not qualified to speak, not qualified to confront the Egyptian megalomaniac, but God said to him, ‘What’s in your hand, Moses? Throw it down…’1 

You see God sees what it is in our hand, what things he can redeem, including our past pains, our current difficulties, and views them as part of the package he will use to equip us to serve him and love others well. 
Perhaps your life hasn’t gone the way YOU thought it would- 
~starting with your childhood; your father was distant, austere, 
your mother was critical 
~you lost a mate--either to death, infidelity or a nasty divorce 
~you find yourself married to a stranger—“Is she really the woman I married? Was I blind, or have things changed that much? How 
can I be married and so lonely?” 
~parenting has been joyful, but a strain—learning challenges, mental 
illness, autism ….it is not how you pictured it would be! 
~you lost a child—God forbid! It isn’t supposed to happen like this! 
~you found God – your husband or your teen-age kids rejected your God – and now there is a wide chasm between you 
~finally retired and now the doctor says something about the “C” word 
God??? 

Really, the list of things that can rip apart our lives could go on and on. 
In light of these things and more, the question comes, how then shall we live? We can grow from pain when we exercise our faith to believe what Paul wrote that ‘all things work together for good to those who love God, and are called according to his purpose.’2 Besides, not much personal growth or character change happens without going through the fire actually. Think of what James said, “when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” 3 

Friend, every time calamity, heartbreak, trial or loss impacts our life, 
it presents an opportunity for us to turn to God and 
for God to work in our lives … or stuff it down. 

Only God knows and cares about everything that concerns us; only God is big enough to take all of our stuff and heal it, rebuilding and reshaping us in the process. And God often uses our lives to move someone who is watching us—maybe not what you wanted to hear, but it is true. 
So why not let God take your stuff and turn it for good? 

Again I think of Joseph, who said to his offending brothers, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…”4 Yeah that’s because God uses it all when we trust him—even our rough stuff. 

Christine

PastorWoman.com

1 – Exodus 3 and 4 – Moses called by God 
2 - Romans 8.28 
3 – James 1.2-4, NLT 
4 – Genesis 50.20