From a Mess to a Message

What does your mess say about you?  I've often said that in the ministry of reconciliation, our testimony is one of the most powerful tools we have; indeed, the one that makes us the most authentic and credible.  It is our life's experiences (especially the most difficult and challenging) that determine the kind of ministers we will become.  It is often the things we suffer that equip us to be more compassionate, sensitive and loving ministers of the grace of God.  The more we can identify with the various levels and complexities of the human condition, the more God can use us to encourage, edify and comfort those who are suffering.  In a tapestry, the mess in our life represents the backside of life that produces a beautiful testimony that glorifies and honors God.

In this life we will have trial and tribulation, but Jesus said, "Be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world."  Jesus.  The same Jesus who lives in us has "overcome the world"!  That means we have world-overcoming faith and strength on the inside of us.  Greater is He that's in us, than He that is in the world.  Those of us who have suffered and overcome, now have a message to share with someone else.   

The world is looking for overcomers - those who have experienced the fellowship of His suffering AND the power of His resurrection!  Therein lies our message:  how we got over.  Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but God delivers us out of them all!  What kind of things have you suffered?  How has God delivered you?  What scripture(s) sustained you?  How did you maintain your peace?  How did you overcome worry and anxiety?  The answers to these questions become the life-giving message God wants to use to bring salvation and healing to the lost. 

Our testimony is the message born out of our own spiritual journey.  Sharing our message prepares the way of the Lord in the lives of the unbelieving.  We become agents of reconciliation, reconciling the lost to God, in a loving, non-judgmental way - not counting their sins against them.  In this, our momentary and light afflictions work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory!