One Sunday in church, while I was thumbing through my Bible during the pastor’s sermon, I came across this amazing verse: “He has made everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
Let that sink in. This doesn’t say everything is inherently beautiful. It says God takes something ugly and turns it into something beautiful. Something useful. Something good.
I can tick off several ugly moments of my past, but when I think about each one, I see how God turned them all into something beautiful.
- God used the death of my dad to introduce me to my future wife.
- God turned my day of discovery into a life of recovery.
- God took away my ministry to the church in order to create a ministry beyond its walls.
What about you? What is there in your past that, while it was not beautiful, it can be useful?
Recovery Step: Let God turn what was ugly into a creation of beauty.
Author: Mark Denison
Mark and Beth Denison, married for 36 years, launched There’s Still Hope as a national movement to call men and women into lives of sexual integrity. Their ministry offers 90-day recovery plans for addicts and one-on-one and group coaching for addicts and their spouses. TSH also produces resources for pastors and churches to confront the porn epidemic that is destroying so many lives.
Dr. Denison was a senior pastor for over 30 years, NBA chaplain, and board chairman at Houston Baptist University three times. With a Master’s Degree in Addiction Recovery, Mark is a certified PSAP and active member of the American Association of Christian Counselors.
Mark has written four books on recovery: Porn in the Pew, 365 Days to Sexual Integrity, A 90-Day Recovery Guide, and 40 Days to Porn-Free Living. His latest book, Jesus on the 12 Steps, will be released later this year.
