Broken Vessels
Devo #3: How to Love Those with Mental Illness
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“The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” – 1 Samuel 16:7
After coming back from two tours of duty overseas, Grant struggled with a traumatic brain injury. He found it difficult to remember short-term information. He never slept more than a few hours at a time. He sometimes panicked when confronted with a new situation.
Before the injury, Grant had been confident and happy. He had planned on returning to his hometown and becoming a pastor. Now though, he struggled to just make it through the day. He managed to connect with a few other veterans and formed a regular meeting. Each week, they got together to share what they were dealing with.
When he was with his father, Grant said, “I know I was meant to be in ministry. I want to serve God—I just feel so shattered now.”
His father shared, “Just because you’re broken doesn’t mean you can’t serve God. Some of the most beautiful ministries are birthed in brokenness.”
It’s easy to think something disqualifies you from serving God. Maybe you think you can’t because you have a painful past, a disability, or a mental illness. But what you may see as obstacles could be the area of ministry that God is calling you to.
God, I’m broken and I’m fragile but I’m Yours. Use this broken vessel to bring honor and glory to Your name.
Amen.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What circumstances have left you feeling shattered or broken?
2. Have you ever felt called to minister to others? What happened?
3. What things do you fear disqualify you from serving God?
This is a tough one to answer. I've ministered to women in the church in the past and children and teens, but the church basically got rid of us because they didn't want to deal with a rebellious man and an alcoholic so let's forget about the whole family ( if you can't see them, you don't have to do anything with them, including love them)....anyway, so I have chosen to deal with my mental health issues first, before faith issues. If I do ever serve God again, it will definitely be a different one than the one I was taught about previously. Sigh yeah. Are these going to get harder, Steve? :)