If you had to choose people for your team, what kind of qualities would you look for? What would be the criteria?

I’ll take a step further. If you know your specific calling in life that God has invited you to, what were the criteria that He was looking for in you?

When I look at myself, I wouldn’t have chosen me for the work that I do in the Kingdom. However, I could almost hear God lovingly saying, “that’s actually the point!”

My experience

As a kid, I wasn’t causing any problems for my parents, teachers, or anyone that met me. I wasn’t a difficult child. Things changed in the teenage years. Somehow I started to require much more from myself than I could handle. I ended up having a lot of emotional difficulties.

There was a period when I was furious at myself and had a hard time accepting my mistakes and issues. Combine that with the emotional struggles and you have a human-timebomb.

It’s only natural to run away from the pressures of life into addictions that only quicken the downward escalator. I knew that I wasn’t doing well. After realizing that my path is leading me towards the destruction, I wanted to stop, but I couldn’t. I tried many different ways and methods to stop my bad habits, but nothing helped. I felt stuck, scared, and ashamed of myself.

One day I decided to try prayer because growing up I heard about God. I decided to pray daily for half an hour until God sets me free. I imagined that the prayer would bring improvement every day.

I was wrong. It only got worse and worse. Although I could give myself some credit that I persevered in prayer! After one month of praying, I felt like I had reached the bottom. It was dark and hopeless.

That was the same day where God reached out to me. Did I deserve it? Obviously, not. I was in my own mess!

As usual, before going to bed, I was browsing on the Internet. I stumbled upon a video of a preacher and I clicked on it. I wasn’t paying much attention to what he was saying until I heard him declare that “God speaks to everyone and calls everyone.”

“Everyone.’’

That included me!”, I realized as I thought about it. At that moment I understood that there’s hope for me.

It felt like Jesus Himself walked into my room and without any blame or complaint removed all of my hurt, fear, and shame. I was sure, He was calling me to Himself.

This experience changed everything. I fell asleep without any guilt and fear for the first time after years of heartache. I was amazed that God Himself wanted to use me even though I was at the bottom of my life. I knew I didn’t deserve it. It was His grace (a term I had no familiarity with at the time) that rescued me.

The next morning I woke up beaming with joy. Halfway through the day, I realized that Jesus set me completely free from all the addictions that I was fighting with for so long.

The choice of God

Real grace is not only about getting what you deserve the least but also empowering for a different kind of life. God sees more in a person than bad actions. He sees a particular and what He can mold it into. Doesn’t matter how deep in the mess that person is.

God likes to take the worst of the worst and make them somebody that carries value. It wouldn’t be a big achievement to make a talented person become a champion, wouldn’t it?

God takes someone without feet and makes him the best runner.

God chooses what the world sees as worthless. He impacts their lives and shapes them into world changers. Look at Peter and John. You won’t find fishermen that are more famous than them. Look at Gideon. In the beginning, he was hiding in the cave, but later he became a great warrior. King David, Moses, Abraham are other examples just to mention a few.

“God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:27–29, ESV).

I’m not saying I’m someone great. I only know that greatness comes through the grace of God. The biggest achievements in my life were due to what God gave it to me. Since the beginning when He forgave me my guilt till today I can only boast in Him. I tried many things and failed, but when I rely on Jesus, He always greets me with a victory.

Only God can make a champion for His Kingdom.

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