Forever Forward in HopeSample

You’re Not Disqualified

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.… For I am convinced that neither death nor life … nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God” (Romans 8:28-39 NIV).

For a long time, I believed my past disqualified me. I had dropped out of school. I had experienced trauma. I had slept in my car. I joined a gang. I almost lost my life. I had wrestled with failure, disappointment, and shame. And for a while, I thought those things defined me.

But then I began to understand something deeper about God. He doesn’t discard us because of our past or the challenges that we have had to navigate based on our environments. He draws near to us even when we feel like we do not deserve it.

Romans 8 doesn’t say all things are good. It says that God works in all things—for our good. That includes the brokenness, the parts we want to hide, the pages we wish we could rip out of our stories. God doesn’t need perfect conditions to bring restoration—because God specializes in turning feels like ruin into testimony.

I saw it firsthand in my own life. What started with survival slowly turned into purpose. Every part of my story—yes, even the parts I once tried to bury—was being repurposed. Not erased. Redeemed.

God has a long history of calling people the world often overlooks. Moses doubted his voice. David made devastating choices. Paul carried a violent past. Ruth navigated grief and displacement. Mary Magdalene bore deep wounds and was misunderstood. Yet God called each of them, not after they were polished, but right in the middle of their process.

That’s what grace looks like. It’s not a reward for good behavior—it’s a rescue for those who are in need of God to remind us that he is the God Who Sees Us.

When I started telling my story publicly, I was terrified. I wondered how people would see me. But I kept coming back to this truth: God’s love is not based on our performance. It is simply because I have breath—the breath God gave me. And nothing—nothing—can separate us from his love.

If you’ve been carrying the weight of regret or feeling like you’ve missed your chance, I want to say this clearly: you’re not disqualified. Your pain does not cancel your purpose. You still belong. You still matter. And your story isn’t over.

Prayer: God, thank you for using people like me. Thank you that my worst moments don’t disqualify me from your love or your plans. Help me believe that nothing can separate me from you—not my past, not my shame, not even my doubts. Teach me how to walk in grace, and help me see my story the way you do. Amen.