“Why did God make me ugly/ gay/ black/ short/ stupid/ fat?”

These are some of the most asked questions on the internet. I can add to this list: “Why did God make me handicapped/ sickly?” What comes to your mind? They sound more like complaints than a question of God’s purpose.

I don’t know whether God tweaks our genetics to make us who we are or if He created the genetic code and waits for the  developments.  But either way He loves who you are and has a mission for your life, should you choose to accept it.

Our Insecurities Bring Us Closer to God

Everyone has self-doubt about who they are physically, emotionally or mentally.  Insecurities can come and go or be something we live with all our lives.  They could develop out of a traumatic experience or imagined threat. They are often a response to ridicule from peers or strangers.  Or we could just be wired to worry about our lack of perfection as impossible as it is to achieve.  The moment when we are at the end of our rope, that’s when God finds us. That’s when that relationship is revealed. You can link to an account of a young man who made a bargain with God to save his sister.

God Cares for His People

God draws us, He calls to us. He longs for us to come to Him so He can heal us. Yes, physical miracles are possible (as can be seen in this account), but more often God heals our spirit.  Often, we are unable to hear His call because we’re so busy with other things – our lives, our families, our work, our own problems and unhappiness. Sometimes we must be broken before we realize that our deepest need is to be reconciled to God.  When we surrender to Christ we can be restored and transformed.

When we recognize our need for God, we’re able to take our eyes off ourselves and focus them on God and Jesus Christ. When we stop thinking about ourselves and start thinking about what Jesus did for us, our insecurities begin to melt away. Only when we admit our need and ask God into our life, can God begin to make us whole. When we confess that we are broken God can make us into what He wants us to be. Once we let go of self and place God at the center of our lives, everything else falls into place (Matthew 6:33).

God Wants You to Use Your Experience

Survivors of horrific or heart-breaking events are usually quite resilient. We’ve experienced the worst and came out the other side as a stronger person. We can face things that scare others.

The broken and cracked are the ones that people can relate to.  We are the ones who see our need for God.  We are the ones who see no reason to boast but rely on God’s grace.  We are uniquely positioned to channel God’s love to those we best understand because of the common bond of our particular and unfortunate experience.

I believe the experiences you face in life are not just for you. They happen so that you in turn can help someone else. How can you help another overcome something you never had to deal with? This is what Jesus did for us.  If you have been broken or cracked, God wants to use that. Remember what it felt like and remember how God brought you through it. Take that and go help someone else who needs your insight.  You empathize with their pain and don’t want to see it continue.  You can see through their defensive behaviors and love the soul beneath.  You can help them interrupt their self-destructive patterns.

So instead of being defensive about the special attributes that we believe are deficiencies, let’s accept their benefits and use them.  We all have a niche and are someone that God can use for His glory. God uses flawed people to show us that He can equip anyone to do His work. And He does.

The Brokenness that May Not Heal

There is another group of broken people, although they don’t think of themselves that way; Those who are arrogant, lack empathy, are self-absorbed and self-righteous. It is often necessary for a traumatic experience to bring them to their knees before God so that He can speak to their soul.  Healing, according to Jesus, is for those who are broken and admit it.

Conclusion

At some point in our lives, most of us have been hurt, broken, troubled, crushed, bruised and in need of help and the comfort of God.  Trauma, heartache, and pain can hold us back if we let them, but they can also make us stronger. The experiences that create damaged people can also create kind and appreciative people. With God’s help we can look beyond ourselves.  Our brokenness enhances our empathy and we have a great capacity to share love and kindest.

So why did God make me _____?  He may not have tweaked your genetics to make you who you are, but if you seek Him (how to seek Him), He will certainly heal your spirit and use you for the betterment of those in need.  Broken people become trophies of God’s grace and the best conduits for His love.

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Relevant Scripture

In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33).

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

¹ Save me, O God,
    for the waters have come up to my neck.
² I sink in the miry depths,
    where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters;
    the floods engulf me.
³ I am worn out calling for help;
    my throat is parched.

My eyes fail,
    looking for my God.
⁴ Those who hate me without reason
    outnumber the hairs of my head;
many are my enemies without cause,
    those who seek to destroy me.
I am forced to restore
    what I did not steal.

⁵ You, God, know my folly;
    my guilt is not hidden from you

¹³ But I pray to you, Lord,
    in the time of your favor;
in your great love, O God,
    answer me with your sure salvation.
¹⁴ Rescue me from the mire,
    do not let me sink;
deliver me from those who hate me,
    from the deep waters.
¹⁵ Do not let the floodwaters engulf me
    or the depths swallow me up
    or the pit close its mouth over me.

¹⁶ Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love;
    in your great mercy turn to me.
¹⁷ Do not hide your face from your servant;
    answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.
¹⁸ Come near and rescue me;
    deliver me because of my foes.

¹⁹ You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed;
    all my enemies are before you.
²⁰ Scorn has broken my heart
    and has left me helpless;

I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
    for comforters, but I found none.
²¹ They put gall in my food
    and gave me vinegar for my thirst   (Psalm 69)

I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit (Isaiah 57:15).

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. (Psalm 51:17)

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18)

He was despised and rejected by others;
a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity;
And as one from whom others hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him of no account. (Isa. 53:3 referring to Jesus)

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matt 6:33)

References

God Uses The Weak – 4 Reasons God Uses Broken People by Diane Shirlaw-Ferreira

3 Ways God Uses Broken People for His Glory  by Diane Shirlaw-Ferreira

Why the Most Broken People Are Usually the Kindest by Sherrie Hurd, A.A.

What does the Bible Say About Brokenness? | GotQuestions.org