Damaged, but Still Good

Damaged, but Still Good is a book that is revelatory in exemplifying that many of us as individuals whether good, bad, ugly, or indifferent are shaped by our experiences as early as childhood. Dexter Howard (2014) states, "That's what's missing as I look at the landscape of our society: identity and much needed affirmation." Mothers are designed to nurture, but fathers provide identity and affirmation. "Without those things, it leaves a hole in the heart of a child." Parents don't realize that broken relationships not only affect the couple involved, but it affects and shapes their children. "We are the sum total of our experiences. And, like a flowing river, those same experiences, and those yet to come, continue to influence and reshape the person we are, and the person we become. None of us are the same as we were yesterday, nor will be tomorrow" (B. J. Neblett). Oftentimes, we ask the question, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" However, we learn the best lessons and gain wisdom in the worst circumstances. It is amid life challenges, catastrophes, and calamities that we understand that even when you have experienced great loss, God can still use what you have left! Life has taught me it's not what we go through that damages us, but an unwillingness to forgive the process designed to work for our greater good. The Bible says in Psalms 37:23 that the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. Most of us believe that God is a God that only orders blessings. However, life has shown me that God does not just order blessings, but God orders trials. He orders setbacks, and he orders challenges, but in God's ordering, he will never put on us more than what we can bear.