God Never Wastes a Hurt Chemotherapy nearly killed me, but it also saved me. Not just physically. It saved me from the illusion that I was whole. It exposed the broken places I had covered up with success, strength, and self-reliance. God was healing more than my body; He was doing heart surgery. He was using pain to reach places I didn’t even know needed restoring. At the time, it didn’t feel sacred. It felt brutal. The nausea, the fatigue, the endless hospital stays, it felt like a punishment. But over time, I began to see that God wasn’t trying to destroy me. He was refining me. Pain became a tool in His hands to reshape who I was becoming. What I thought was a detour was actually a doorway. This is where Joseph’s story in Genesis comes alive for me. Sold into slavery by his brothers. Falsely accused and imprisoned. Forgotten and misunderstood. Years passed where nothing made sense. But God was weaving every thread into something redemptive. When Joseph finally stood face-to-face with his brothers, the very ones who had betrayed him, he didn’t seek revenge; he saw purpose. “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good,” he said. What a perspective. Joseph teaches us that our deepest wounds can become our greatest witness. Not because the pain wasn’t real, but because God’s purpose is bigger than the pain. Paul echoes this in Romans 8:28 (NIV): “And we know that in all things”, not just the good things, but all things, “God works for the good of those who love Him.” That means even the parts of our story we wish never happened can be used by God. Nothing is wasted. I’ve seen that truth play out in my life. I never would’ve chosen cancer. But because of what I endured, I now get to encourage others walking through their own “left turns.” My suffering birthed empathy. My pain birthed purpose. This doesn’t mean we should celebrate pain. But it does mean we don’t have to be crushed by it. God never wastes a hurt. He repurposes it for growth, for heali