"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NIV)

I was always excited for the first day of school because I can't wait to use my brand new box of crayons. Over time and use, these crayons get worned out. When my favorite crayon snaps in half, I don't throw it away. I keep coloring, sometimes creating even more interesting art because the broken piece fits into spaces the whole crayon couldn't reach. The break doesn't end the crayon's usefulness, it just changes how it's used. Broken crayons still make beautiful pictures.

God specializes in using broken people to create beautiful things. Your struggles with fear can help someone else find courage. Your experience with failure can guide someone toward perseverance. Your journey through difficult relationships can comfort someone who's hurting. The very thing that makes you feel damaged might be exactly what makes you valuable to someone who needs what you've learned.

The apostle Paul had to UNLEARN something that most of us still struggle with today. He thought his weakness was something to hide, something that made him less effective for God. He begged God three times to remove what he called his "thorn in the flesh." But God had a completely different perspective on Paul's brokenness, and He has the same perspective on yours.

Paul discovered that God's power works best through weakness, not despite it, just like we see in 1 Corinthians 1:27. God deliberately chooses weak things to shame the strong. When we're strong and confident, people give us the credit for our success. But when we're clearly broken and God works through us anyway, everyone knows it's a miracle. Our weakness becomes God's opportunity to show off His strength.

"God uses broken things," said Vance Havner, the famous preacher. "It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength." Even nature teaches us that brokenness often comes before breakthrough. The seed must be broken open before it can grow into something beautiful. Like us, something new and beautiful can come out that glorifies God.

Godseekers, stop hiding your broken pieces and start using them to help others heal. Remember, God chose the weak things of this world for a reason. The person walking through trials you've already faced doesn't need someone who's never struggled. They need someone who understands what it feels like to be broken and can show them how God puts the pieces back together. Your scars are not signs of defeat, they're proof that you survived, and that survival story is exactly what someone else needs to hear.

Prayer

Dear Lord, help me UNLEARN the lie that my brokenness makes me useless to You. Show me how my struggles can become tools of healing for others. Give me courage to share my broken pieces instead of hiding them. Use my weakness to display Your strength and help someone else find hope. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Personal Reflection

• What struggle or weakness have you been most ashamed of?
• Who in your life might benefit from hearing how God has worked through your broken places?

Step of Faith

Today, I will reach out to someone who's facing a challenge I've walked through and offer to listen or share what I've learned if needed.