Let Your Mess Become Your Ministry

What do you do with the messes of your life? Do you hide them? When your past pops up, do you push it down and away from your conscious mind? Do you think it’s easier to pretend certain things never happened?

When we encounter the messes of life, the temptation is to isolate, to go it alone and cover it up. Why do we do this? Some messes are merely embarrassing, but some are deeply painful. The Enemy tells us we’re foolish to think anyone will understand. He whispers, “You are not worthy.” It’s easier to bury our messes than to expose them.

We fool ourselves when we think it’s easier to hide our messes. Hiding is the Enemy’s idea. Satan wants us to isolate. He wants us to be all alone in the thunderstorm of our own thoughts. Keeping secrets in the darkness is his plan.

Jesus is the light. Bringing hidden things into the light is God’s idea. In John 12:46 Jesus says, “‘I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark’” (NLT).

God created us for community. Sharing your struggles is God’s plan. In Galatians 6:2 we are directed to “share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ” (NLT).

A day may come when I need to hear about your mess. Learning about God’s work in the midst of your struggle gives me hope. It builds my faith as I navigate my own mess. Hearing about your journey through pain encourages me that I am not alone. A day may also come when God prompts me to tell you about my mess. You see, God uses our messes.

The Enemy doesn’t want us to expose our messes. He’ll go to any length to shut us up. He hurls accusations. He’s a record keeper. He torments us with shame, guilt, condemnation, and a whole host of oppressive feelings. He makes it his mission to keep us from accepting the grace of God. Even when our pain comes from someone else, from something we had no control over, he twists it and makes us believe the circumstances are our fault.

Satan is a liar. It’s not just in his character; it is his character. John 8:44 states, “When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies” (NLT).

The Enemy doesn’t want you to take your messes to God. He doesn’t want you to use them to help others. He is determined to keep you bound up with shame, grief, oppression, and isolation. He labors to keep you from fulfilling God’s purpose for your life. He takes aim and carefully fires his darts at your vulnerability. He works hard to convince you that you are unfit to serve him.

As long as we listen to the Enemy’s whispers, we are bound and held captive. Just as surely as a prisoner cannot escape the bars of his cell, neither can we escape the bondage the Enemy places on our minds.

The good news is Christ came to set the captive free. God doesn’t want you to live a life of imprisonment.

In John 10:10 Jesus says, “‘[Satan’s] purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life’” (NLT).

Jesus died to give us life. In Christ, we are no longer tied to our messes. We have a new identity.

Colossians 1:22 says, “He has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault” (NLT).

Do you see it? Jesus died to set us free. You and I are holy and blameless in God’s sight; our past has no hold over us. God is faithful to reach into our messes with deliverance. As we lay them at his feet and bring them into the light, God uses them for his honor and glory, for our sanctification, and for the benefit of those who come behind us.

Second Corinthians 1:4 says, “[God] comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us” (NLT).

We can’t offer God’s comfort until we’re willing to share our messes at God’s prompting. God may use your mess as a platform for a ministry opportunity. He may use your mess by prompting you to share with someone in a mess like yours. The key is to bring your mess out of the darkness and into the light.

If you have been made clean and experienced the grace of God through the messes of your life, share that truth as God leads! Share the pain, the ugliness, the lessons, and the reconciliation. Share the healing and the freedom of being known and loved just as you are. Don’t hide the grace of God that has entered your mess. Don’t steal hope from those who have been broken in the same way you have been broken. God doesn’t want you to “hide” your past; he wants to redeem it.

Susan Ream is basking in the grace of God. She loves all kinds of people. Being a Mom is her favorite role. She has collected many “kids” throughout the years. Most of her life she has been a pastor’s wife. She cherished that opportunity and proudly supported her devoted husband. She is a mother to three grownups and Nana to eleven extraordinary grandkids. Much of her writing features insights gained through the messes of life. God never wastes a hurt, and He is faithful to work ALL things together for our good. You can follow her on HubPages.

Photograph © Rosie Kerr, used with permission