"Biblically Dysfunctional," aka "God's Crackpot Coalition," seemed an appropriate header for a book chapter on the way God may use unique individuals. I am so very grateful that he uses cracked, imperfect people instead of discarding them as they miss their mark on the earth. As human beings, we often throw away broken items that have outlived their usefulness and replace them with newer ones, unlike our heavenly Father.
So, with the first chapter of "Supernaturally Dysfunctional" securely under wraps, I proceeded to research any example I could find, of Bible heroes and heroines who at first entirely messed up, making the worst decisions possible. I literally hit the proverbial jackpot! I had an idea of a few places to begin in the Bible, but as I remembered my childhood Sunday School lessons, the endless list of usual suspects became daunting and relentlessly overwhelming.
Though I would never intentionally insult the authors of God's Word, I quickly realized that information overload could lose any possible reader before my official story even began. Besides all of that, I personally tend to lose interest easily and have been known to "squirrel" it occasionally...or get distracted as Dug the dog was known to do in the Disney movie, "Up." Basically, I realized chapter two should be short and to the point. Sadly, I had to leave out a few of my favorites. Samson, Jonah, Rahab, Peter and Paul didn't even make the cut. I did include my personal top ten version of God's most famous cracked pots. Hopefully you will agree on a few of them. I pray that you get a genuine kick out of those included in the "Biblically Dysfunctional" portion of my book.
I have to admit, I took great pleasure in the realization that I'm not alone in this realm. Though I have missed my mark countless times, these, mostly but not all, heroes of the Bible have me beat, hands down. Yet God used them. With a couple of wicked exceptions, the cracked human vessels described in chapter two proved themselves to be vulnerable, wrecked and humbled. But God. "But God is rich in mercy because of His great love for us," Ephesians 2:4 (ESV). Because of God's great love for his creation, He had other ideas for the end of their stories. Yes, some were extreme examples of what not to do or simply as life lessons for the rest of us.
Common sense, along with knowing the end of their stories, makes it easy enough for me to believe that had I been in their sandals, I would surely have done things differently. I certainly wouldn't have lied like Abraham, murdered like Moses and Cain, committed adultery as David, or even denied Jesus as Peter did. Great wisdom, as some may say, stems from hindsight. Hindsight is, after all, 20/20, mentioned with tongue pressed firmly into cheek.
However, an overly emotional, scared or excitable moment could have enticed even the most wholesomely hearted among us to allow human nature to takeover, causing us to respond disgracefully.
The most fascinating outcome of these Biblically dysfunctional cracked pots' journeys would appear to be the underlying message in their miseries. Of course, God beautifully reasons through these stories leaving us with the lessons He desires for us to learn. The best part of all being the genuine love He has for his children which seeps through the words of His book to penetrate the heart of the reader. WE are His sons and daughters and we are going to mess up, time and time again. His grace will always be sufficient as He reminds us in 2 Corinthians 12:9.
If you need yet another reminder of His love for you, perhaps you can re-read John 3:16;
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (KJV) He loved us so much that he sacrificed his only Son, perfectly blameless and without sin, so that you and I, who continually sin and are far from perfect, could spend eternity in heaven with Him. A love like that is hard for us humans to fathom. Yet the Bible is practically a love letter from the Almighty to His rebellious and flawed creation. Yes, we are made in His perfect image, but choices we make and doors we open create dysfunctional scars that often hinder His perfection until it becomes almost unrecognizable. Case in point, chapter two of "Supernaturally Dysfunctional."
So take heart, dear one! It doesn't matter what you've done, or the times you've missed the mark in God's kingdom. You are not so far gone that you can't be used by Him. He loves you unconditionally knowing that you will mess up on occasion. He's crazy about you and delights Himself in YOU! Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV) says, "The Lord your God...will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." In Micah 7:18 we are also told that He delights in mercy and showing His unfailing love for each one of us.
As Paul, one of my personal all-time favorite cracked pots so clearly tells us in Romans 8:38-39 (KJV), "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." That settles it then. Absolutely NOTHING can separate us from the love of God. Our innumerable mistakes and sins are forgiven and forgotten when we ask in faith. What a wonderful, and amazingly loving heavenly Father we have!
If you need prayer, please leave a response at the end of this blog. The Lord tells us that when two or more agree in prayer, He will be there with us. (Matthew 18:20). I'd be happy to be your "two."
Thank you, for continuing your journey with me and Team SD.
*Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for enveloping the irreplaceable readers of this entry today, with your unconditional and all-consuming love. May each one of us feel your presence as a sense of warmth and peace rising from our feet to the top of our heads. May the ones you love find comfort in that very warmth and a knowing that you will never leave us nor forsake us, especially when we miss the mark or sin against you. Thank you, Lord, for emphasizing that since we are imperfect and often times cracked, we can come to you, knowing that you are gracious and just to forgive us thoroughly and completely. Thank you, Father, for using our messes and even miseries to allow the message of your love to shine through. Thank you for allowing our personal story to ultimately help another find you. In Jesus' name. Amen.*
“SUPERNATURALLY DYSFUNCTIONAL“ now available @tbn @trilogychristianbooks @amazon @amazonbooks @barnesandnoble @blackwellbooks @powellbooks @goodreads @walmart.
Signed copies available from author at sewoody16@gmail.com.
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