Finally, there are inner wounds that God allows us to experience with the purpose of working through us. By “working through us,” we refer to our calling. When reading the Bible, we can see that there is always a connection between our wounds and our calling. Paul, writing to the Corinthians, says in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our afflictions, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

Through the various afflictions we face, God’s goal is not merely to comfort us, but even more, to make us sources of comfort for others who go through similar afflictions. God allows certain inner wounds not only to work in us or develop our faith, but also so that through us, the faith of others might grow. That’s why Jesus could say to Peter:

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” — Luke 22:31-32

Although the devil had asked to sift all the disciples, Jesus prayed only for Peter because unlike the others, he had a specific issue: relying on his own strength to declare that he would never deny Jesus. Through the pain his denial would cause, Jesus didn’t just aim to confront Peter with himself and teach him to depend on grace rather than effort, but also to strengthen his brothers once he had turned back.

God is able to make you a voice in a specific area through the wounds you’ve endured. If you already know your calling but struggle to discover your message, look at your wounds. Yes, along with the calling, God also gives the message.

One example of someone to whom God entrusted a specific message, making her a voice concerning forgiveness and restoration in the context of sexual abuse in this generation, is Joyce Meyer. Many admire the impact of her ministry and wish to become like her, yet few—if any—would willingly go through what she endured to get there.

In her book Beauty for Ashes: Receiving Emotional Healing, she reveals that after being sexually abused about 200 times by her biological father, she had to leave her family home at the age of 18. This terribly damaged her self-esteem until the day she encountered Christ, began a healing journey with God, and, after a long time, was by God’s grace able to forgive her father and become a living testimony of what God can do in such a painful area.

Like her, you may have gone through situations that caused deep pain for years—situations you are not proud of—but someone, somewhere, might truly need to hear about them to be transformed. As John Maxwell once said:

“When we talk to people about our strengths, we impress them; but when we share our weaknesses and how God helped us overcome them, we impact them.”

There are people waiting to be touched by your story, no matter how bad it may seem. Just like the Samaritan woman in John 4:28-30, you can use your story to bring others to Christ. It might be through an article, a testimony, a song, a post, a book, a sermon, or simply sharing your experience with someone.

And it’s by seeing the impact God makes through you that you will undoubtedly understand that out of what consumed you can come something that nourishes others.

If an unhealed person hurts others, conversely, a healed person helps others. Moreover, you cannot call someone into the best version of themselves unless you yourself are free from your own wounds!

May God reveal to you what He is doing in your life and what He wants to do for you, in you, and through you after your healing…

This text is an excerpt from the book “HEALING INNER WOUNDS” written by Rémy BISAGA.

We invite you to read the following article: “GUARD YOUR HEART ABOVE ALL ELSE.”

WORKING THROUGH US.