Now that spring has arrived, the birds are starting to build their nests.

It’s delightful to watch them collect items to fashion into a new home.

They’ll mostly gather twigs and leaves as their construction materials. They might also add moss, plant fluff, dried grass, or feathers to make the nest soft for their chicks.

But sometimes birds use unexpected things when constructing a home.

They’ve been known to use mud, pet fur, discarded snake skins, and spider silk for their nests. They’ll even use man-made items, such as plastic, tinsel, dryer lint, or even purloined underwear from a clothesline!

Birds don’t seem to count anything out: they’ll use the most unlikely things to achieve their goal.

And so does God.

God also uses unexpected things and unlikely people to fulfill His purposes. The Bible is chock-full of examples of this:

He used the simple rod in Moses’ hand to part the Red Sea,

He used the jawbone of a donkey to help Samson defeat a thousand enemies.

He used mud and spittle to restore sight to a blind man.

He used a little boy’s lunch of five loaves and two fish to feed thousands.

God even used the persecution of the early church in Jerusalem to scatter believers, which spread the gospel to faraway lands.

So don’t count anything out as being unusable by God.

He can even use you! Don’t think He can?

God used an adulterer to write beautiful psalms (David), a murderer to lead His people to freedom (Moses), and a Christ-denier to shepherd the early church (Peter).

God can use the things in your life that seem as though they don’t fit.

He can use the problems that you’re going through to fashion your character to more resemble Christ’s.

He can even use the mistakes you’ve made, redeeming them to bring about eventual good.

In God’s economy, nothing is wasted.

Our Heavenly Father doesn’t count anything or anyone out, so neither should we!

“But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.”

1 Corinthians 1:27

© 2022 Lori J. Cartmell. All rights reserved.