Write About the Mess
“It’s like you’ve been reading my mail,” a reader wrote. “How is it that you always seem to know exactly what to say to stir up my heart?”
I love it when God does that…whether it’s a graphic I create and share on social media, or a blog post on my website…I get excited and am thrilled to see when He lets me partner with Him to be part of His work in others. Many times, I have no idea why I feel compelled to share something at the time, only to find out later, that it was “just what [somebody] needed” at that precise moment. All glory to God.
The pieces that others seem to connect with the most are those that I have written out of my own personal experiences, but are common enough that others experience similar situations themselves. Whether it’s a tale about experience sitting and getting frustrated in the car pool line, or struggling through the valley of depression, or being diagnosed with cancer, there is really nothing new under the sun, just our experience with it. Our best writing so often comes when we share vulnerably from our experience, allowing others to enter in and say, “Me too.”
I have learned over the years that God never wastes our pain. Scripture says, what the enemy intended for harm, God WILL use for good. Frequently, our worst messes become our biggest opportunities for ministry. We minister best from our broken places that God has healed. Those times build character, trust, faith, and greater for the suffering of others.
Have you ever done something you know God has called you to do, only to experience opposition to it? Me too. Especially when I’m being obedient to what I know God wants me to do. The enemy hates that. He thrives off rebellion, disobedience, and discouragement. But we defeat him when we share our story with others. Scripture says we defeat the enemy by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony.
Do you want to be victorious? Keep sharing. Stay real. Be willing to be vulnerable and authentic. Let God use your mess to minister to others.
If you enjoyed this article, lend a few claps so we’ll know you want to read more like it. And if you’d like to read more like it, feel free to check out the links below.
For a Free eBook on How to Help a Depressed Loved One, click here: http://drmichellebengtson.com/how-to-help-a-depressed-loved-one-ebook/
For more helpful information about what you need to know when you have a depressed loved one, read here: http://drmichellebengtson.com/10-things-to-know-if-you-have-a-depressed-loved-one/
For more about what not to say to a depressed loved one, read here: http://drmichellebengtson.com/what-not-to-say-when-a-loved-one-is-depressed/ while here are suggestions about supportive things you can say to a depressed loved one: http://drmichellebengtson.com/what-to-say-when-a-loved-one-is-depressed/
Dr. Michelle Bengtson (PhD, Nova Southeastern University) is an international speaker, and the author of best-selling “Hope Prevails: Insights From a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression” and the newly released companion “Hope Prevails Bible Study.” She has been a neuropsychologist for more than twenty years. She is in private practice in Southlake, Texas where she evaluates, diagnoses, and treats children and adults with a variety of medical and mental health disorders. She knows pain and despair firsthand and combines her professional expertise and personal experience with her faith to address issues surrounding medical and mental disorders, both for those who suffer and for those who care for them. She offers sound practical tools, affirms worth, and encourages faith. Dr. Bengtson offers hope as a key to unlock joy and relief — even in the middle of the storm. She and her husband of 30 years have two teenage sons, and reside in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. She blogs regularly on her own site: http://www.DrMichelleBengtson.com
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