In his book, Beginning Again, Terry Hershey writes, “God not only says that failure is never the final word, but that your area of weakness will become your area of strength. Where you were weak and learned grace will become a means whereby you can reach out and touch the lives of others who need the same good news.

“God is not only working to heal you, but to heal others through you, to make you what Henri Nouwen called a ‘wounded healer.’

“Such healing doesn’t happen through the man or woman who has all the answers. It happens through the man or woman who understands pain and grace. Nouwen explains, ‘For a deep understanding of his own pain makes it possible for the [wounded healer] to convert his weaknesses into strength and to offer his experience as a source of healing to those who are often lost in the darkness of their own misunderstood suffering.’”

I believe it was Ernest Hemingway who first used the phrase, “Growing strong in the broken places.” The idea being that where a bone is broken and heals, it becomes the strongest part of the bone.

The same is true of our broken places—where we have been hurt, have fallen, or failed. When we bring these to Christ for his healing, his strength is then made perfect in and through our weaknesses. This is certainly true in ministering effectively to other people. They are helped, not through our brilliant logic, nor persuasive speech, but through the sharing of our struggles, and how, with God’s help, we have overcome. It is a case of one beggar showing other beggars where to find bread.

This is why the Apostle Paul could say, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”²

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to see my broken places and find your healing so that I, too, can be used of you to be a wounded healer. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 2 Corinthians 1:4 (NLT).

2. Romans 8:28 (NKJV).

Temptation. It befalls all of us. It can come directly from the devil, a devil’s advocate, through a friend, or from my own self.

We are all open to temptation for, like a lawn bowl that has a bias (weight) on one side that causes it to curve away from the goal, we have a bias that, unless guarded, causes us go astray and miss the mark of God’s goal for us. The bias is our sin nature that we are all born with.

So how do we defend against temptation?

First and foremost, as author Max Lucado suggests in his book, On the Anvil, there are two very simple strategies for protecting ourselves from sin and temptation. The first is to recognize Satan. So often, we are lured into a sin because it looks so attractive, so fulfilling, so right at the time. So we find ways to rationalize our actions and make excuses for our attitudes. Instead, we must be like Jesus in the desert and call Satan by name. No more sugar-coating the truth. Don’t try to water down the power of sin. Call it what it is.

Second, we can guard against some temptations by making sure we get legitimate needs met in legitimate ways. For instance, after fasting for forty days, Jesus was hungry. This is when Satan tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread. Satan always has a way to tempt us at our weakest and/or neediest point. For another example, many singles when they are lonely, instead of getting their companionship needs met in healthy ways, turn to sex as a poor substitute for love.

Third, realize that God’s salvation begins at the point where we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord of our life—and as we grow in wholeness and maturity. As Jesus often asked, “Do you want to be made whole?” Wholeness is a requirement for wholesome living, for only to the degree that we are made whole will our lifestyle, our actions, our thoughts (the beginning point of temptation), our behavior, and our relationships be wholesome.

Fourth, walk with God. Growing in wholeness is a life-long process, so in the meantime to avoid giving in to temptation, we need not only to make sure we get our needs met in healthy ways, but also to walk with God. That is, we need to know what his Word teaches by reading and studying it faithfully, and we need to commit and trust our life to God every day, and seek his guidance and help to live a life that will glorify him in all that we are and do.

Fifth, be filled with God’s Spirit who gives us the insight to recognize temptation for what it is and the power to overcome its onslaughts.

Sixth, pray. Sometimes a simple prayer such as, “Help, God, Help,” can be the best antidote against falling pray to temptation’s alluring charms.

Lastly, when we do give in to temptation and sin, remember that God says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”² The important thing is to get up, put things right where needed and possible, and go on.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you have provided a way of escape from giving in to temptation for me through your so great salvation. Help me to keep growing in faith, love, maturity and wholeness, and fill me with your Holy Spirit so that I will have the strength to overcome temptation. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Joyfully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. James 1:14 (NASB).

2. 1 John 1:9 (NKJV).

The following formula for resolving problems, I believe, came from Norman Vincent Peale. He said to visualize … prayerize … actualize.

Visualize. We need to see a problem for what it is, and usually what we see isn’t the real problem at all. Often it is the symptom of a deeper, hidden problem, the fruit of a hidden root! As somebody else said, “God is merciful. When we have unresolved personal problems, he gives us symptoms.” Only as we see the cause of any problem can we ever resolve it. Once we do this, we need to visualize (see) what we need to do to overcome the problem as well as visualizing or seeing the final outcome.

Prayerize. We also need to ask God to give us the wisdom and courage to see and confront the real cause of our problem. Then pray realistically, not only by committing our problem to God and asking for his guidance to help to find a solution, but also to give us the courage to do our part.

Actualize. Finally, we need to realize that we are responsible for resolving our problems. No matter what happens to us, we are always responsible for our reactions, feelings, and what we do about resolving our problems. God will give us wisdom if we ask for it, insight if we desire it, and courage if we need it, but he won’t do for us what we can and need to do for ourselves. If he did, it would keep us over-dependent and immature.

Accepting responsibility for our problems, emotions, behavior, and our life is the heart of adult maturity. As we do our part to overcome our difficulties, God will do his part. As another has said, “God feeds the sparrows but he doesn’t throw the food into their nests.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, in all of life’s difficulties help me to face reality and see my responsibility and what I can and need to do to overcome. Please lead me to the help I need so to do. Also, help me to accept every problem as a challenge and opportunity to grow and thereby become a better, healthier and more loving person. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. James 1:5 (NIV).