I spent years pretending I didn’t have a limp. I chose to ignore the dead weight and act like there was no collateral damage in my life. I pushed my way forward through this world and paid no attention to my pain. I failed to learn from my limp.

Then, when the I finally grew way too exhausted from dragging all the brokenness behind me, I just gave up. I finally stopped to look at the mangled pieces I couldn’t fix, and I felt totally paralyzed. I feared I was far too fractured to make a difference.

Life will never be the same again, I thought. And it wasn’t.  But I still had breath in me, and I could still put one foot in front of the other. Tiny steps are still progress.

I can take a tiny step closer to God in my brokenness.

I can limp my way toward another hurting person with encouragement.

I can get out of bed today and bring a blessing to the dark corners of this world — even if I have to brace myself as I limp my way through the shadows.

Here’s the thing about a limp: You can’t really hide it. Your weakness is on display for the world to watch.

I thought my limp made me a loser, but when I finally let people see how much I lacked strength, God gave me new eyes to see how to walk.

My limp helped me learn and led me in a new direction.

I may not be tough, but I am more compassionate.

I may not be quick, but I can quietly persevere.

I may not be perfectly lovely, but my broken life makes room for God’s glory to spill out through the cracks.

Maybe right now you are reading this, and you feel like you cannot take another step. You’ve taken a hard hit, and you think you are too weak and wobbly to even stand.

Friend, your life is not damaged beyond repair. Just pick up the pieces and hand them to Jesus.

Let your limp lead you forward, my sister.

5 Simple Ways to Learn from Your Limp

Listen Up

God is always speaking peace over your life, but you must quiet your heart to hear Him when your pain is wailing loudly. Grab a notebook, your Bible, and your favorite pen and set aside time each day to sit at His feet. Pray and ask God to speak to you and show you which way to go. Make sure you write down a little each day — because sometimes you will look back later down the road and see patterns you may miss right now.

“I will hear what the True God—the Eternal—will say, for He will speak peace over His people, peace over those who faithfully follow Him, but do not let them abuse His gift and return to foolish ways. Without a doubt, His salvation is near for those who revere Him so that He will be with us again and all His glory will fill this land.” (Psalm 85:8-9, Voice)

Lean In

Limps teach us we are not self-sufficient. We must depend on God’s strength to guide us for every step. Get in the Word as much as possible and ask for wisdom and strength. Don’t binge watch Netflix — binge read Proverbs and pray through.

“My son, pay attention to all the words I am telling you. Lean in closer so you may hear all I say. Keep them before you; meditate on them; set them safely in your heart. For those who discover them, they are life. They bring wholeness and healing to their bodies.” (Proverbs 4:20-22, Voice)

Learn

God never allows us to limp through down into the depths of despair without teaching us a deeper truth. What is one step you can take this week to walk closer to God? Let your pain push your closer to Him and press in for more. The enemy of your soul wants to paralyze you with fear, but you can push forward into the depths of obedience and develop a deeper intimacy with God in this season. Don’t miss out on the goodness God wants to reveal to you.  (Remember Job said he came to see God more clearly through the hardest season of his life.).

“Be good to Your servant, God; be as good as Your Word. Train me in good common sense; I’m thoroughly committed to living Your way. Before I learned to answer You, I wandered all over the place, but now I’m in step with Your Word…My troubles turned out all for the best—they forced me to learn from Your textbook.” (Psalm 119:69-71, MSG)

Let Go and Look Ahead

The sad truth is that because of sin we live in a broken world. Until Jesus comes back and rescues us, we will all limp in some way. Once you let go of your expectations for a pain-free life, you can push past doubt as you look forward to heaven. You may be limping right now, but one glorious day very soon you will get a brand new lease on life. Hold on to this truth: No one will limp in heaven.  

“So we have no reason to despair. Despite the fact that our outer humanity is falling apart and decaying, our inner humanity is breathing in new life every day. You see, the short-lived pains of this life are creating for us an eternal glory that does not compare to anything we know here. So we do not set our sights on the things we can see with our eyes. All of that is fleeting; it will eventually fade away. Instead, we focus on the things we cannot see, which live on and on.” (II Corinthians 4:17-18, Voice)

Linger and Love

Ask God to give you eyes to see other limpers around you and show up in their lives. Telling another hurting soul your story can make an eternal difference — and all you have to do is open up your mouth and speak. Your pain has created a space in your soul for you to empathize with the hurting and bring encouragement. Don’t stay silent.

“All praises belong to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. For He is the Father of tender mercy and the God of endless comfort. He always comes alongside us to comfort us in every suffering so that we can come alongside those who are in any painful trial. We can bring them this same comfort that God has poured out upon us.” (II Corinthians 1:3-4, TPT)

God allows us to be marked for ministry. Listen to your limp — it will lead you to God’s great mission for your life.

 To help you get started, I’ve created two great resources for you: The “My Mission Statement” worksheet will walk you through the steps to creating a clear focus for your life. Plus, I also provided a list of 10 mission-minded Scriptures for you to print out and pray over this week for inspiration. Sign up today as a member of the Wildfire Faith Community and grab a copy in our Faith Fuel Library.

God wants to use your limp to make a difference in this world full of lost souls. As you start taking baby steps of faith, people will begin to notice you are walking with a surer step because God is your strength. We can limp forward with His love in our hearts and help bring healing to the hurting.

Learn from your limp, and you can move forward to new freedom.

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