A cool part of leading a great church is that you get to hang out with some great people, like my friend Nate Lytle. In a departure from our normal Sunday message…well not much at Renegade Church is normal…but in a departure from what we usually do on a Sunday morning we did an interview with Nate as a kick off to Renegade’s Extraordinary series.
Back in 2007 Nate fell of a ladder at work and was struck in the head by a hunk of pipe that crushed his skull and caused severe brain trauma. At first Nate was not expected to live, and then when he did survive doctors said that he would never walk and talk or have any type of normal life. The only thing anyone was right about is that Nate would not live a normal life because, from his speaking engagements, to leading surf camps for disabled kids, to ministering to others who have suffered traumatic head injuries, to being named TIRR Survivor of the Year for 2011, and now promoting a book about his life and experiences, Nate’s life is anything but “normal.”
When interviewing Nate one verse kept coming to mind, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”
The NBV (New Bard Version) translation is “God never waste a hurt.”
We all have physical, relational and emotional hurts in our lives. Scripture makes it clear that God allows life’s trials to not only to teach us something about ourselves and build our character but also to equip us so He can work through us help others when they go through the same thing. Something that seems like it is preventing us from doing ministry can actually be the launching pad for a new ministry to others.
My friend Nate is living this out today. Where others see failure God see opportunities for ministry greater than you could ever imagine on your own. My challenge to you is what area of your life have you experienced your greatest hurt and how are you using it to help others around you. Unless you are doing that then your hurt and pain really were all for naught.
