"The experiences of our lives, when we let God use them, become the mysterious and perfect preparation for the work He will give us to do." - Corrie tenBoom
Of all people, Corrie might have a pretty valid excuse to say that her life experiences (her incredible suffering and loss during the internment camps of WWII) are better left buried and forgotten. And yet her story became a powerful platform to speak truth and bring soul deep healing to so many.
I spent this past Saturday at a women's retreat with some amazing ladies who have big personal stories. I don't mean 'big' as in grand and inspiring and beautiful. I mean 'big' as in broken ...and inspiring and beautiful. Big as in - God dwells here, in the broken places.
These aren't the kinds of people you'll ever hear speaking at a conference or writing a best selling book, like Corrie and so many other beautiful women. I tend to think of these women, my friends, as the whisperers. They're the 'sit across from you with tears in their eyes, share your burden and I'll assure you that Jesus is enough for this too -because I've been there' kind of women. Whispering love. Whispering truth. Into fellow broken hearts.
How ironic that their shared pain makes them a treasure. God uses it all but especially those broken places in our lives. What starts as a gaping loss in your own life becomes a bridge to someone else's soul. Destruction becomes the power to mend. Wounds can somehow become a balm. Curious, isn't it? But why should we be surprised by this unexpected gift in our own lives when suffering was the means that God Himself used to reach us?
"For the joy set before Him Christ endured the cross." Hebrews 12:2
Suffering with great purpose. Suffering for joy... specifically, the joy of making broken and empty hearts whole in Him.
What's the work you've been given to do? Your greatest work is most likely in the smallest places: it's in the conversation with a friend at the coffee shop, in the whispers with your children and your spouse around the table or snuggled in close when the brokenness of this world is threatening to invade their hearts. You are mysteriously and perfectly prepared for it...what are you whispering?