Colorful Pasts

[Rahab said to the men,] “I know the LORD has given you this land. . . . For we have heard how the LORD made a dry path for you through the Red Sea. . . . No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! . . . For the LORD your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.” Joshua 2:9-11, NLT

DO YOU EVER find your mind growing darker and darker the more you think about your past? Like in a pinball machine, your thoughts bounce back and forth, sloping downward toward the impending doom of the end of the game? You wonder how in the world God can use a broken and busted woman like yourself?

My thoughts go there too, sister. Beating, blaming, bumbling. But then I think of the many men and women in the Bible whom God used and redeemed—prostitutes, murderers, backstabbers—and I remember no one is beyond His grip of grace.

Think of Rahab. She was often referred to as Rahab-the-Harlot. She was a prostitute during the time of Israel’s journey toward the Promised Land. From the book of Joshua, we learn that she sheltered two Israelite spies, who had made their way into Jericho and were in trouble. The king had found out they were in town and went to hunt them down. But Rahab had hidden the spies under bundles of flax on her roof and told the Jericho authorities that they had already come and gone. She risked her very life to keep them safe. She had heard about their God, His ways and wonders, and was in awe of Him.

Later, the spies returned with all of Israel to take over the city. They were instructed to destroy everything in sight, but because of Rahab’s faithfulness to them, Rahab and her family were spared. Not only that, but she and her family ended up joining the Israelites. And it’s here we see God redeeming Rahab’s life. She married Salmon, gave birth to Boaz, and became the mother-in-law to Ruth and the great-great-grandmother of King David. Yes, Rahab had been a prostitute. But you know what else? She was incredibly brave. She risked her life. She believed in God. She showed kindness, hospitality, faithfulness, and grit. She was a woman with a past—not even an Israelite to begin with—but a woman God redeemed and blessed to be an ancestor of the Savior of the entire world.

God loves those with colorful pasts. He adores them, comes for them, redeems them, and uses them for His Kingdom. We all have pain and hurt we would love to bury in the ruins of Jericho, but like Rahab, we can remember we’re not beyond His reach. We can stand strong in our faith and accept His amazing grace.

GRACE REFLECTION: Take a moment to thank God for the strong women who have gone before you. Ask Him to remind you that no past is too colorful for the Kingdom—not yours or anyone else’s.