“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and make me willing to obey You. Then I will teach Your ways to rebels, and they will return to You” (Psalm 51:12,13)
I apologize in advance for the example I’m about to give, but I couldn’t think of a better way to explain! I want you to truly believe that your greatest regrets and struggles can actually bring incredible life to you and those around you!
So I want you to think about manure. Manure can do one of two things: it can just smell awful, or it can fertilize. The difference lies in the ground it’s on. If it just sits on a rock, it’s only going to rot. But if it’s placed in soft ground, it will enrich the soil and cause amazing growth.
Your sin is the same! Left in a hard heart, it will just sit there and smell up your life. But worked into a soft, repentant heart, it can bring great life to you and others when you tell about God’s goodness! Take King David: God called him “a man after My own heart,” even though he slept with another man’s wife, got her pregnant, and then had him killed to cover up the scandal. That’s a lot of manure. But when God confronted him, his heart became soft ground, and he wrote this prayer:
Have mercy on me, God, according to Your faithful love! Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and make me willing to obey You. Then I will teach Your ways to rebels, and they will return to You. Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves; then I will joyfully sing of Your forgiveness. Unseal my lips, O Lord, that my mouth may praise You (Psalm 51:1,12-15).
From Guilt…to Gold Your unique struggles and the healing God has given you can become a beacon of light to others sinking in similar despair. Take the blind man Jesus healed: He said, “One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” (John 9:25) Can you imagine how encouraging that testimony would be if you were a blind person? In the same way, whatever you have struggled with (depression, addiction, loneliness, pride, etc.) can be the ray of light to others— if you will allow God’s healing to go deep into your softened heart and then not be ashamed to share it with others!
Do you want your struggles to become a beacon of light for others? Ask God for His promise here: “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart” (Ezekiel 36:26). God’s forgiveness will not only heal you, it will free others too!
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