I have found that God uses me the most when I feel the most unworthy or unqualified. On the days when I screw up and fall short of His standard. ⠀
And like clockwork, after repentance, the self deprecating shame never ceases to creep in, reminding me of how “bad” of a Christian I am:
You are not full enough of His spirit. Look how readily you sin. God is disappointed in you.
Shame, guilt, and condemnation trick you into working yourself like a painting. They tell you to cover up your mistakes and mess-ups with more paint until you’ve hidden the issue. From the outside, you could display the most beautiful composition, but underneath, all of the faults are still there nagging at you.
How often we paint our faces or social media profiles or relationships while we are internally consumed by shame, baggage, and emptiness.
And how easily we forget that God sees every passing moment, and immediately sifts through the defensive layers we cover ourselves with.
But He doesn’t keep a tally of every sin you’ve committed like the enemy does. God cares about the posture of your heart. If it’s willing. If it wants to follow His. Jesus has a habit of calling the most unqualified people to do His work. Why?
Cuz it points back to Him every time. It puts His glory on display because it’s not about our achievements and perfection.
How wild is it that we are not only loved perfectly in our mess, but moreover — the perfect God of the universe actually uses it to lead people to Him.
Don’t believe me? Check out Romans 8.