If I’ve learned anything from the Bible - and honestly, my own life - it’s that no one is ever too messed up for God to redeem and use in his plan. If you’re looking for an example, just check out the story of David, who got another man’s wife pregnant and then murdered him, or Jacob, who tricked his dad into giving him his brother’s inheritance, or even the Samaritan woman at the well, who had been married five times and was living with a man she wasn’t married to when she ran into Jesus. Despite their problematic pasts, God still used each and every one of them to further his kingdom and bring more people into relationship with him.
That’s what I kept thinking about as I watched The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, a new Christmas movie directed by The Chosen’s Dallas Jenkins that debuts in theaters November 8. The film tells the story of the Herdman siblings, a notoriously unruly group of kids who take over the town's annual Christmas pageant. The townspeople want nothing to do with the Herdmans, and they certainly don’t want them anywhere near their beloved Christmas pageant. However, as the Herdman kids immerse themselves in the Christmas story, their raw and unfiltered perspective forces the community to confront their own assumptions about the events surrounding Jesus’ birth – and even their own faith.
Everyone in the town had discounted this group of kids because of their bad behavior. And honestly, many of us probably would have discounted most of the people God used in the Bible because of their behavior. But no one is too far gone for Jesus to reach and use!
Is there someone in your life that you have overlooked – or even avoided – because of their past? Someone who you may have deemed too far gone to reach out to? That may be the person God wants you to reach; the person who God is going to use to reach many more for his kingdom. But it starts with you reaching out to them.
I know, because I was that outcast. In middle school, I was an angry, depressed girl who wanted nothing to do with church or other people. My youth group leaders at church didn’t know what to do with me, and my peers had stopped bothering trying to befriend me. It wasn’t until a camp counselor sat with me in my anger and saw me through God’s eyes that I began to let my guard fall and truly accept a relationship with Jesus. After that, I had a joy like never before. I shared that joy with everyone I met. I went on to become a camp counselor at that same camp, leading six other girls to faith in Jesus and discipling even more on how to deepen their faith. Because one camp counselor reached out to me, dozens more lives were changed.
God is in the habit of using the most broken and unlikely people to proclaim his truth to the world. He is also in the habit of using those who love him to do big things for his kingdom. 1 Corinthians 1 tells us that God uses what we consider foolish to impact the world. We should never discount someone because their experience is different from ours. In fact, we should look at what we can learn from them and keep ourselves from having to learn something the hard way. It’s also an opportunity to look around and see if God wants to use us and our past experiences to make a difference for his kingdom. Because someone took the time to reach out to me and didn’t give up, I learned how to do the same for the young girls God has brought into my life. So, friend, pray for God to give you the compassion and courage to share your faith with that person you once thought was too far gone. Then step back and see what amazing things God will do!
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