For far too long, I believed the lie that I could only be used by God if my life were perfectly in order. And for far too long, I used this excuse as a reason to try and hide from him. I felt too ashamed, embarrassed, dirty and sinful to turn to him, so I began to turn and run. Avoiding my Bible, my Christian friends, godly fellowship, and even church. But even in the midst of my brokenness, God continued to pursue me. He relentlessly chased me down time and time again.

During this time, he continually placed people in my life to be a light during some of my darkest times. It was in this time that his goodness and faithfulness was revealed to me in a way that I had never experienced firsthand before.

God knew I was broken, but I was never too far gone for him. As I studied scripture, I was reminded time and time again that he uses the most unlikely people to glorify his kingdom. Moses, Rahab, Paul, Zacchaeus and so many more have been used in the most unlikely ways, not because of who they were, but because of who he is. There are no exceptions to who God will use or accept.

My sin never kept Christ from seeking me, but because of his continuous pursuit, I have allowed him to change me in more ways than I ever could’ve fathomed. He’s constantly smoothing out my rough edges, changing my heart and molding me like clay into the person he wants me to be. After all, he didn’t send his son to die for us because we’re perfect people, but the exact opposite. Our imperfection doesn’t keep us from God, but instead shows us just how desperately we need him.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
— Romans 5:8