When I think about the name of this website, “From the Pit to His Purpose,” I can’t help but think about Joseph. His own brothers threw him into a pit and sold him into slavery. Later he was falsely accused and imprisoned. There were probably many times when Joseph couldn’t understand what God was doing, but the pit wasn’t the end of his story.
My pit looked different. There were painful things that happened to me, and there were choices I made while trying to cope with them. For years, alcohol became a way to escape what I didn’t know how to face. I never imagined God could use those parts of my life for anything good.
But when I look back now, I can see that God was working even when I couldn’t see Him. That doesn’t mean God caused the painful things that happened to me, but I believe He can redeem them. Joseph said, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, saving many lives.” Genesis 50:20 (NIV)
Today, some of the things I once wanted to hide are the very things God is allowing me to use to help others. I can share my recovery because I know what it’s like to need hope. I can share my testimony because I know what God has brought me through.
Joseph couldn’t see where God was taking him while he was sitting in the pit. Sometimes we can’t either. We only see the chapter we’re living in right now and forget that God is still writing the story.
The pit was part of Joseph’s story, and it was part of mine too. But it wasn’t the end. God can take a pit and turn it into purpose.