You are Not a Mess – You are a Messenger

What if the most painful, difficult, shameful season of your life is actually the most powerful message you carry?

In this episode, Jennifer Strickland unpacks one of the most liberating truths in Scripture — that God does not wait until you are cleaned up, credentialed, or have it all together before He commissions you as a messenger. He meets you in the mess. He calls you by name in the middle of it. And then He sends you.

Through the stories of two of the most powerful women in Scripture — the Woman at the Well in John 4 and Mary Magdalene — Jennifer shows us the pattern God uses again and again: mess to encounter to message to mission field. No seminary degree required. No perfect past required. Just an encounter with the living Christ — and the willingness to go and tell what He has done.

Whether you are in the middle of a crucible right now, or you are sitting on a story you have been too afraid or too ashamed to share, this episode is your invitation to reach for the gold God has buried in your hardest season — and give it away.

WHAT YOU’LL HEAR IN THIS EPISODE

The Woman at the Well — John 4 Jesus meets a woman at the well in the middle of the day — an outcast, living in shame, hiding from her community. He puts her whole mess on the table. And then He calls her “dear woman” — a term of endearment, not shame — and announces His identity as the Messiah to her first. Within moments, she becomes the first evangelist to her entire village. She didn’t have permission from the people. She had an encounter with Jesus, and that was enough. And many believed because of her testimony.

Mary Magdalene — Luke 8 & John 20 Mary Magdalene — seven demons cast out, a woman the world had written off — followed Jesus from the very beginning, supporting His ministry out of her own means. She was the last at the cross and the first at the tomb. And when Jesus rose, He called her by name and commissioned her: “Go and tell.” Her mess became the first announcement of the gospel. We are still talking about her testimony two thousand years later.

The Meaning of Testimony Your testimony is not a single dramatic moment. It is the record of God’s activity in your life — how He showed up, who He proved Himself to be, what He taught you in the middle of your hardest season. When God has shown up for you in any way — He is your message.

Jennifer’s Personal Story Jennifer shares how her own crucibles — the eating disorder, the approval issues, the painful seasons she did not want to live through, let alone write about — became the gold that has now reached women through, and God continues to multiply the gospel through book after book, reader after reader, life after life.

Psalm 68:11 — The Warring Women of Zion “The Lord gives the word, and great is the army of women who proclaim the good news.” You are part of that army. And your story is your weapon.

KEY SCRIPTURES

• John 4:16-42 — The Woman at the Well
• Luke 8:2 — Mary Magdalene and the women who followed Jesus
• John 20:11-18 — Mary Magdalene at the tomb: “Go and tell”
• Psalm 68:11 — The army of women who proclaim the good news
• Isaiah 52:7 — How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news

KEY TAKEAWAYS

You do not have to have your whole story cleaned up before you share it — authenticity is the doorway, not perfection.

Your testimony is not one dramatic moment. It is the ongoing record of who God is proving Himself to be in your life.

The woman at the well did not hide her past — she led with it. And many believed because of what she said.

Every book Jennifer has written began with a crucible. Every reader whose life was changed is fruit from that fire.

One act of obedience — one story shared, one book written, one conversation had — can multiply the gospel into generations you will never see.

RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED

Free Masterclass — How to Turn Your Mess into a Missionfield A free live Zoom masterclass where Jennifer will help you mine your story for gold, write your testimony, identify your missionfield, and step into what God is calling you to — even if you feel insufficient. [Register Free at https://events.urmore.org/]

Jennifer’s Books

• Girl Perfect
• Beautiful Lies (available in Spanish)
• 21 Myths Even Good Girls Believe About Sex
• Pretty From the Inside Out
• More Beautiful Than You Know
• I Am a Woman https://urmore.org/product-category/books/

Subscribe to In God’s Eyes Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you listen.

Watch on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@Behold_TV

Connect with Jennifer Instagram: @jenniferstrickland_author & @behold.tv Facebook: @jenniferstrickland.author Website: URMore.org Email: support@urmore.org

WHO THIS EPISODE IS FOR

Share this episode with the woman in your life who…

• Is in the middle of a painful season and cannot see the purpose in it
• Has been told — or has told herself — that her story is too messy to be useful to God
• Has a book on her heart but hasn’t finished it because she doesn’t think her story is valuable enough
• Is hiding a past she is ashamed of and doesn’t know that God calls her dear woman
• Is carrying gold she hasn’t yet given away

ABOUT JENNIFER STRICKLAND

Jennifer Strickland is an 8-times published author, TEDx speaker, and the founder of URMore.org — a ministry dedicated to helping women know their value, fulfill their calling, and share the good news. Known as “The Writing Mid-Wife,” Jennifer has coached dozens of women through the journey from story to published book, and has spent over twenty years teaching women that their worth is found in Christ — not in their performance, their past, or their perfection.

In God’s Eyes is her podcast for women who are ready to know who they are, step into what God has called them to, and proclaim the good news.