We’ve all experienced times in our lives when no matter how hard we tried, we failed. Missing the mark and falling short of our goals is frustrating, but they’re part of life’s trials and challenges. Learning how to turn failure into success is the key to living in victory, and the Bible gives us examples of ordinary people like us who did just that. The common characteristic they all shared was that they didn’t let their mistakes define them.

We live in an environment in which people are always ready to reject and disqualify us for our shortcomings, our physical appearance, our age, or any other number of things. None of those things matter to God because He looks at our hearts. We can learn from David, who wasn’t perfect yet was still a man after God’s own heart. When God called David, the people compared him to his brothers and judged him based on his outward appearance, yet God still used him powerfully.

David didn’t fit in with his world’s way of doing things; he didn’t meet society’s standards. As women of God, we’re a lot like him. We’re not perfect, but when God looks at us, He sees a heart turned toward Him.

Rahab the prostitute was another example. She definitely didn’t qualify for others’ approval, but God gave her a second chance when everyone else had written her off. God didn’t judge her by her behavior, but by her heart. We all make our share of mistakes, but, like Rahab, God’s always willing to give us a second, third, fourth, even a million chances.

Rahab’s courage and her work of faith in protecting the spies stands out. Despite the dangers involved, she gave of herself by hiding them. As a result, she and her whole family were preserved and kept safe. This woman was recorded along with the men in the Bible as a hero of faith.

The takeaway here is that we don’t have to be flawless for God to use us. He saves those with a past; Rahab’s past didn’t disqualify her in God’s eyes, and neither does ours. We all have a past history that whispers to us, but God cares more about our future than our past. It didn’t matter to Him how she ended up being a prostitute; the good news is that no choice we could ever make, and no scars ever inflicted, can keep us from God’s saving grace.

I’m so thankful for God’s willingness to make allowances for the times when I mess up. As a wife and mother, I’m amazed at the love and grace He extends to me; I can tap into it when I need to, and it just goes on and on. He patiently gives me chance after chance to get it right, and gives me the Holy Spirit to help me make better choices.

I’m humbled knowing that I’m among the many people God can use despite repeated mistakes. Not only did He use David and Rahab, but also Moses, Paul, Joseph, and plenty of others. We’re all human and no one is perfect, but God still allows us to get to the place where we can fulfill His will for our lives.

Ladies, we’ve got to stop disqualifying ourselves just because we don’t measure up to unrealistic standards. We’re not perfect, and we’ll never be! We don’t have to let our flaws define who we are when we can let God tell us who we are—His victorious daughters. Trusting in Him empowers us to overcome whatever situation life throws at us.