“The Shepherd laughed too. ‘I love doing preposterous things,’ he replied. ‘Why, I don’t know anything more exhilerating and delightful than turning weakness into strength, and fear into faith, and that which has been marred into perfection. . . .That is my special work” (Hannah Hurnard, Hinds Feet on High Places).

If it helps for a bit of context, remember that it took God six days to create the entirety of the universe and everything in it. Also remember that He’s been working on you since you were in your mother’s womb. Sometimes, the intricate work takes longer, but bear in mind that the end result will be glorious beyond compare.

God delights in taking those weaknesses and turning them into strengths. He delights in taking nobodies and turning them into world changers. He delights in taking your fear and turning it into faith that is afraid but obeys anyway.

God can take the scars from your worst moments and turn them into a testimony of God at His very best. Day after day, nothing seems to change but when you look back over a year or a decade, you understand better that you are not who you were.

I heard an illustration a long time ago that stuck with me. So many Christians are like those buildings where they put fences around the exterior during remodeling. You never see the messy under construction phase, only the polished and perfect final state. So many of us never want anyone to see us in any way that is less than perfect, but God wants people to see us in the middle of growing and becoming. That, not the so-called perfect picture, is a true reflection of someone who follows Jesus.