TARNISHED

Tarnished=make or become less valuable or respected

In our home, you’ll find antiques on just about every surface, you’ll find several heirlooms, and mounds of old farm equipment mounted on the wall in our garage. Tyler and I have a serious obsession with anything that has history. We love finding things that have a story, that have carried a legacy, that have character, and even more so, I personally love to give those things a new purpose. 

What used to be old crates, have become shelves in our home. What used to be old bottles, have become vases. What used to be old containers, now hold so much more than the dust they once collected. They hold oil.

Get this: I didn’t change the structure of these things. I repurposed them, and that’s exactly what our Father does with us.

We want to hide from our Father and fall into the belief that we cannot be used for His glory because we have either A.) labeled ourself or B.) allowed others to label us. I want to tell you today though that you may feel that you’re tarnished, but God wants to repurpose YOU.

Can I just point something out? Who was the first person that Jesus called out to? Okay, so it wasn’t a priest. It wasn’t a Pharisee. It wasn’t an elder. He called out two brothers who just so happened to be fishermen. These boys had struggles, were deemed unqualified, and were rugged. Yet, Jesus sought after THEM. He called out to THEM. He repurposed THEM and said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:18-22 NKJV)

God has instilled something within you that is special. Something that cannot be duplicated. He has a task specifically for you, designed for you, and only you can do it. You might feel as though you're flawed, but God doesn’t want perfect. You might feel as though your past is just too much, but someone is going through what you walked through right now. You might feel like you’re just simply not enough, but He is calling your name and saying, "Follow me." 

Whatever your story is, it’s specifically YOUR STORY, and I believe that God wants to use you. There is fresh oil waiting for YOU, and I hear Him whispering, "You are not tarnished, but you are cherished."

My prayer:

Lord, have Your way in our lives so that we are no longer acting in our own ways or our own flesh. God, we know that You're calling us out for greater things, and we just want to know You more. We want to follow Your lead. We believe that in our story, beauty is unfolding, and the things we have endured are merely chapters to our story. All the heartache and pain will be used for Your glory, in Jesus name. We know You're close and You're near, and we just want to be Your hands and Your feet. May Your will be done in our lives Jesus, and help us to keep our eyes fixed on You and uproot any wickedness within us...have Your way, Lord...in Jesus name.

Amen.