Hidden PotentialПримерок

May I ask you to honestly answer a few questions? Not necessarily out loud, or even on paper where someone might see your answers, but just for yourself.

• Do I allow the echo of fears and faults to silence God’s voice?

• Do I dwell on failures and let them determine my direction?

• Do I worry that my frailties disqualify me from doing any good work for God?

If you answered yes to just one of these questions, then your faith, my friend, is wounded. Fractured. Splintered. Ruptured—not as is intended to be. The original design of our faith is to be Christ-centered, Spirit-led, and Word-fed. We have gotten off track.

I’m asking you to trust me enough to thoughtfully read the following words, first taking a deep breath (and then another when you’re done): What if God’s plan isn’t to “fix” the things that have fractured my faith but instead to show His power through them, making my faith stronger than ever?

There, I said it … are you still with me? I hope so because God has a good word for us, friend! Yes, us. I’m writing for me, as much as I am for you. I’ve spent my life trying to conquer my fears, correct my faults, get over my failures, and accept my frailties, only to discover I still have them. 

Thankfully, God does not leave us alone. He’s given us His Word, which is filled with examples of men and women He has used for His kingdom—people just like us. People like Moses. His life paints a different picture. It’s a picture that shows it’s possible to be:

• Faithful, even when we’re afraid

• Included in God's plan, even with our faults

• Useful, when we’ve failed

• Valuable, even though we feel damaged

God doesn’t want to change what makes you, you. And about all those splinters that have fractured your faith? He accepts them—all of them. He accepts you, just as you are. Moreover, He wants to take that which has wrongly defined and misdirected you and use it to demonstrate how He transforms weakness to power, regret to purpose, and anxiety to peace.

In what ways is my faith fractured? What if God’s plan isn’t to "fix" the things that have fractured my faith but instead to show His power through them, making my faith stronger than ever? What would that mean for me?