God is using our foolishness and our brokenness

I read that quote recently and thought, boy - that's true. God sure has factored in my foolishness. Do you know what else God factors in when he puts a calling on our lives - our brokenness.

God factors in our brokenness.

I was leading a training yesterday. I'm helping train people to go out in their communities and present on the impacts of having gone through adverse childhood experiences.

As part of the training, we give people a chance to take the 'ACE quiz." It's a simple screening that allows folks to have a crude measure of the level of adversity they faced in childhood.

These adversities are certainly not all inclusive. Nor do they define the destiny of that life. They are simply a part of the story of that life.

(I'll include a link where you can take the quiz if you are interested).

When folks were done completing the quiz, one thing was apparent. This group had experienced heavy doses of childhood adversity.

I told them I find hope, not sadness, in those numbers. I said that because I was sitting with people who were already experts on how to navigate adversity in life. And more than that, I was sitting with people who were not just willing, but excited to go out and share their expertise with their communities.

I was with a group of overcomers. That is my favorite group of people in life.

I've said it before and I'll say it many times again. The secret in life isn't finding the path that avoids adversity. The secret is getting good at working through it.

I told this group, my bet is if I asked them how they overcame so much adversity in their lives, their answer would be the name of a person and not the name of a church or school or job. I told them my bet is it was a relationship, not a strategy, that got them to where they are today.

The training was via Zoom, but I could see all their heads nodding yes.

I think when God factors in our foolishness and our brokenness into our callings in life, he does that because he knows those are our common human denominators.

We've all been foolish. We are all broken.

That leaves us all uniquely prepared to help one another. That leaves us all lovingly shaped to love one another.

And we can never forget, in God's mind - in God's heart - that IS our calling. That IS the only calling that means anything to him. That we love one another.

When it comes to that calling, our foolishness and our brokenness are gifts, not curses.