“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” 
But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.  I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
Acts 9:13-16

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;  persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
2 Corinthians 4:8-10

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The nurse wheeled me around the hospital, destined for another round of tests amidst an illness that perplexed the doctors. They weren’t the only ones confused. Returning from a mission trip several weeks prior, I didn’t understand why I would get so sick after doing something good.

I was confused and in pain, but not abandoned. During the short ride to another wing of the hospital, I talked to the nurse about my trip to the Dominican Republic. I didn’t want my sickness to be for nothing. I wanted it to be used to glorify Jesus.

I had walked with Jesus for a long time, but this time of sickness allowed me to get to know Him in a deeper way. I couldn’t get through the day on my own. I needed Him, and I needed to believe He used all things, even messy bouts of sickness, for good.

Thankfully, I recovered, but it was a long road to healing with lifelong effects. I wasn’t positive and motivated every step along the way, but on those days when the pain seemed unbearable, or the road to recovery was too long, I knew Jesus was still with me.

There is a saying: don’t preach from an open wound. I have seen this to be true in my own life. While the sickness dragged on and my depression deepened, I wasn’t that girl sharing stories about Jesus to a nurse in a wheelchair anymore. Instead, I threw pity parties on the couch, wondering “Why me?” I was sick and depressed, but not destroyed. I was crushed and perplexed, but not destroyed.

Seven years later, I can tell my story with a fuller lens. We all have stories to tell, some easier than others. But they all point to a God who loves us and stays by our side no matter what muck we walk through. When you find someone who needs your story, tell them. Tell them what God has done. Tell them how you were never alone, how God held you close during the hardest part of your story, maybe not taking all the pain away, but drawing you closer to Him.

Next Steps

What story do you have to tell about how God showed up? Take a few minutes to journal about your experience. Then, when you find someone who needs to hear it, tell your story.