Entrusted with Pain

Some think you need to be healed entirely to minister.

To be spotless. Unshaken. Perfectly whole.

But if that were true, most of the Bible would be empty.

Sometimes the lie isn’t just that you’re too broken to be used; your struggle makes you a hypocrite.

But the truth is: honesty doesn’t disqualify you. It deepens you.

God doesn’t need polished performances; He partners with honest hearts.

Ministry is not a stage for the flawless, but a table for the willing.

Remember, you can be healing and still be helping. This is not a limitation, but a source of empowerment.

Know that you can be tender and still be trusted. Your vulnerability is not a weakness, but a strength that earns respect.

Remember, you can still have questions, and still carry a word. Your doubts do not diminish your message, they enrich it.

Because ministry is not about being flawless, it’s about being faithful.

It’s about showing up when it would be easier to sit down.

It’s about pouring out even while waiting for a refill.

Paul wrote much of the New Testament with a ‘thorn’ in his side. He pleaded with God to remove it, not once but thrice. And yet God said no.

Not because Paul lacked faith. Not because he was doing anything wrong.

But because God wanted him to know this more profound truth:

'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' (2Corinthians 12:9)

That thorn didn’t stop Paul’s mission; it magnified God’s mercy. It reminded Paul that the strength he ministered with wasn’t his own.

Sometimes your most excellent effectiveness comes not despite your thorn, but through it.

So if you’re holding back because you’re not ‘fully healed,’

Know this: you are still called. Still usable. Still chosen.

And your limp may be the very thing that helps someone else rise.

Reflection

- What message do you carry even in your pain?

- Where is God still using you, even in your weakness?

- What might He be healing in others through your honesty?

Prayer

Thank you, Lord, for not waiting until I’m perfect to use me. I am grateful for your grace and understanding.

Thank you for choosing me with my scars, questions, and history.

Keep using my life, even the broken pieces, to heal others.

Amen.

Written by: Caroline

Founder, Rise & Reclaim,

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