Even God Recycles

Written by Tara Paul

photo by Mr. T in DC, Flickr

This is a letter written by Tara Paul, founder of the Rock Church recycling ministry on the occasion of being named the Rock Hero for February 2010.

March 7, 2010

Dear Rock,

You can't believe how exciting it's been to be chosen for this honor! I couldn't wait to come up here and share with you all what we do as a ministry and get you all excited about recycling your bottles and cans with us in order to save the lives of desperate, underprivileged and hungry children! WOO-HOO!

Two words... BUT GOD... He had another message for me to share with you. Satan doesn't want you to hear what I have to say, so don't blink!

As you know, we have been going thru the DO SOMETHING series and God has been revealing to me how he translated my pain into my purpose.

I've heard it said that God never wastes a wound... and how true that is! It's hard to admit your darkest secrets in front of a close friend let alone thousands of people. But here we go...

We all come from somewhere right? We all have a past right? As you heard, when I was 16 years old I made a choice to end my pregnancy in order to hide my sin and shame from my family & friends. Shame is a powerful thing.

That day, 20 years ago, I walked out of the hospital knowing what I had just done was ... wrong. I wasn't a Christian, I didn't know anything about God, but in my heart I still knew it was really... really wrong.

The bible says the penalty of sin is death... something ...always... dies. That day, more then a child died. My hope died. I thought that if there was a heaven, the doors were now shut forever. I was ruined... broken... unforgivable.

Instead of being pregnant with a child, I was pregnant with guilt and condemnation. That one sin started me on a downhill snowball course for the next 15 years... That is what happens when you have no hope. One sin becomes two... which becomes ...well... Too many to count.

God put this on my heart today to share because there is someone here... right now listening to this that feels that they to have no hope because they have done something... or many things that are shameful and unspeakable. You feel that you... are unforgivable.

If that is you... I have two words... BUT GOD... Seven years ago a Navy pastor was willing to come to my home to share the 'gospel' with me. He shared the simple truth that there is NOTHING God can't forgive. NOTHING... even the unmentionable, unspeakable, and horrific... even me... even you. You may say... But you don't know what I have done... or how bad I have been. Your right I don't know, but God does and he already took the penalty for your sin so you can receive forgiveness - if you choose to accept it.

Through the pain I have experienced, God has gave me purpose... How Ironic that he gives me the privilege to lead a ministry that exists to save the lives of desperate, underprivileged and hungry children in Africa. Children that are as helpless as that child I carried in my womb, their very lives / existence depending on the choices I make today to help them... or not to help them.

God can use your shame and humiliation, your pain and your mess-ups. He can make you wear orange coveralls, and sort thru trash... But as Miles said before, anything short of death and Hell is a REALLY GOOD DEAL. I stand here forgiven by God. Changed forever. So, I will take your trash and turn it into treasure, which is what God did with me.

Today I stand here being given the honor of being a Rock Hero, but... there is no hero here. The real Hero... is the one that gave me hope, the one that took my sin and shame and gave me forgiveness and a recycled life. My God, My Lord... My Jesus – MY HERO!

HEY I'M PROOF THAT EVEN GOD RECYCLES!