Refer to Step 10: I believe that God still has a purpose for my life—a purpose for good and not evil.
You’re afraid of making mistakes. Don’t be. Mistakes can be profited by.
—Ray Bradbury
In America, we have the notion that “flawless people” are the ones who should be in charge. This means our elected officials and religious leaders are those who have no negative “check marks” next to their names. Somehow, being without blemish—at least outwardly—is a sign of being worthy to lead. Those who have experienced difficulties have a negative check mark against them, which makes them less desirable, whether as a political candidate or as a religious leader.
In God’s Kingdom, where all have sinned and fallen short of perfection, the exact opposite is true. It’s the people who have sinned much who have the capacity to love the most. They understand the value of being forgiven, of being saved by grace, of being restored, and of being used by God.
Once a person has been stripped of his or her self-will and self-serving ways, that person has a far greater desire to seek God’s will and to accept it. Brokenness produces character qualities, which God highly esteems in men and women, particularly as they face the daunting task of rescuing Christendom from narcissistic religious leaders. It’s also true politically, as Christians attempt to influence our nation, which is often led by those whose self-will and worldview is consistently at cross-purposes with traditional values.
Now that you have gone through the difficulties associated with religious abuse, can you begin to comprehend how much more valuable you have become? Can you understand why your abuse may have purpose? Can you begin to see why you are far more important to God than you were before your difficulties?
Having experienced substantial recovery, you are in a unique position to help myriads of others who have had debilitating experiences equal to yours. Recognizing this, does the necessity of having gone “through the wringer” make sense to you? If so, you are now in a position to thank God for everything that has happened, and you can say, “Father, what do you want me to do next?”
I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the mirey clay; and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. (Psalm 40:1-2)
