When God Uses the Unseen and Imperfect for His Glory

 There’s something breathtakingly beautiful about the way God chooses.

If we were in charge, we’d likely pick the smartest, strongest, most attractive, most popular, and most eloquent. We would crown the outwardly impressive and celebrate what looks flawless on the surface. But that is not how our God chooses. He sees differently. He chooses differently. He uses differently.

The Apostle Paul put it plainly:

“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise;

God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are,

so that no one may boast before Him.”

—1 Corinthians 1:27–29 (NIV)

Paul, once a persecutor of believers, became the author of much of the New Testament. He carried a “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7), yet God told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul learned that it was in his least impressive places that God’s greatest glory shone through.

God’s Pattern from the Beginning

This theme echoes all throughout the Old Testament. God chose David, the youngest and smallest among his brothers—not even invited to the anointing ceremony—yet destined to be king.

“The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

—1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)

He chose Moses, a man with a speech impediment, to lead a nation. He chose Rahab, a prostitute, to become part of the lineage of Christ. He chose Leah, the “unloved” wife, to birth Judah—the tribe from which the Messiah would one day come. Over and over again, God’s pattern is clear: He delights in choosing the overlooked, the rejected, the broken, and the unseen.

He Sees What We Hide

To the one who feels ugly, rejected, or less-than—this message is for you. God sees beauty in the broken places. He takes the very things that shame us and uses them as vessels for His glory. That scar you hide? That insecurity you carry? That rejection that haunts your past? God doesn’t just tolerate those things—He transforms them.

In the world’s eyes, you may not look qualified. But God is not looking for perfection. He’s looking for willing hearts, for people who say, “Here I am, Lord. Use me.”

Purpose in the Pain

You are not disqualified by your past or your appearance or your struggle. In fact, those very things may be the ingredients of your calling. What the world calls “ugly,” God can call “holy.” What people ignore, God exalts. What you thought disqualified you may be what qualifies you for an extraordinary assignment.

He is still the God who chooses from the shadows—not because He sees less in you, but because He sees so much more.

A Final Word from the Heart

If you’ve been feeling like the world has passed you by, if you’ve looked in the mirror and couldn’t find value in what you see, remember this: God never needed outward beauty to do an inward work. And He never asked you to be perfect—just present, just available, just willing.

God is not ashamed of your flaws. He wants to fill them with His glory.

Let Him use your unseen, your broken, and your “not enough.” Because when He does, the world will see a masterpiece where they once saw a mess—and God will get the glory.