“All those listed above include fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah.”
Matthew 1:17 NLT
The stories of the people in the genealogy of Jesus were not very pretty. Lying, adultery, murder, incest, and idolatry can all be found in those lives.
And besides imperfections, there was plenty of pain to touch everyone. Jacob mourned the loss of Joseph. Isaac mourned his sons’ choices. David’s father-in-law tried to kill him, and his son humiliated him. Women felt abuse: Tamar was mistreated by her father-in-law. Rahab was a prostitute. Ruth was a foreigner and a descendant of Lot’s incest. Bathsheba was raped and her husband murdered.
It’s amazing that God would become a human to live among men. But even more amazing is that baby Jesus, a perfect God, was born through the bloodline of broken and imperfect people.
So, take courage—your life may seem useless, you may have made countless mistakes, and you may live with unbearable pain. But God isn’t looking for pain-free, perfect people. God comes to those who welcome Him, and inside those broken vessels, HE dwells.
The glory of God shines the brightest in lives that know about pain and brokenness, but who also know about God’s miracle restoration! It’s GOD’s grace that shines through your mistakes. It’s HIS strength that shines in your weakness. It’s HIS love that flows through your pain.
So, where is God in our world today? He is shining through imperfect YOU!
