The midwife's face fell as she examined the newborn boy.

Ehud – meaning "majesty" or "glory," now seemed like a cruel joke.

"Lord," she would whisper in the quiet hours before dawn, "You formed him in my womb. You knit together his hands, both right and left. Surely... surely You have a purpose."

God's ways are not our ways. God uses the unexpected and even the unconventional for His purposes.

And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done what was evil in the sight of the Lord. He gathered to himself the Ammonites and the Amalekites, and went and defeated Israel. And they took possession of the city of palms. And the people of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.
Judges 3:11-14

.

History repeats itself:  rebellion, God’s anger, enemy oppression, repentance, salvation, peace and we start all over again … sin, suffering, supplication, salvation ….

 The sin of forgetting God during times of prosperity and peace, compromising beliefs and convictions in the name of expediency and convenience, giving in to the temptation to merely blend in and do what keeps you safe even if it means disobeying Yahweh … it all leads to God’s anger against His people and an enemy being strengthened and bringing oppression, 18 years of humiliation and suffering, but enough is enough … we cannot take it anymore, when we will stop blaming God and start crying out to Him …

Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, and the Lord raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud, the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. The people of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab.
Judges 3:15

Benjamin: "son of the right hand." The irony is profound. From the tribe named for the right hand comes a left-handed deliverer. The Hebrew term suggests someone "bound" or "restricted" in their right hand. This was not just a preference – it was seen as a limitation.

And Ehud made for himself a sword with two edges, a cubit in length, and he bound it on his right thigh under his clothes.
Judges 3:11-14

And he presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. And when Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who carried the tribute. But he himself turned back at the idols near Gilgal and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” And he commanded, “Silence.” And all his attendants went out from his presence. And Ehud came to him as he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber. And Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” And he arose from his seat. 
Judges 3:17-20

And Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. And the hilt also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not pull the sword out of his belly; and the dung came out.
Judges 3:21-22

Then Ehud went out into the porch and closed the doors of the roof chamber behind him and locked them. When he had gone, the servants came, and when they saw that the doors of the roof chamber were locked, they thought, “Surely he is relieving himself in the closet of the cool chamber.” 
Judges 3:23-24

And they waited till they were embarrassed. But when he still did not open the doors of the roof chamber, they took the key and opened them, and there lay their lord dead on the floor. 
Judges 3:25

Ehud escaped while they delayed, and he passed beyond the idols and escaped to Seirah. When he arrived, he sounded the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim. Then the people of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was their leader.
Judges 3:26-27

And he said to them, “Follow after me, for the Lord has given your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they went down after him and seized the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites and did not allow anyone to pass over. And they killed at that time about 10,000 of the Moabites, all strong, able-bodied men; not a man escaped. So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest for eighty years.
Judges 3:28-30

God took what others saw as a   and turned it into a  .

Each limitation became a theatre for God's glory. God's sovereignty extends beyond merely working around our limitations; He actually works through them. Our weaknesses become the stage upon which His strength performs its greatest acts.

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
1 Corinthians 1:27–29

What is your "left hand"?

What is that thing about yourself that you think disqualifies you from being used by God?

Maybe it is:

• A past you are ashamed of
• A weakness you cannot seem to overcome
• A difference that makes you feel like an outsider

Maybe it is:

• A physical condition
• Perhaps it is your background or education
• It could be past failures or current struggles

But consider this:

What if those very things you see as limitations are actually God's strategic positioning for unique ministry?

God permits what He hates to accomplish what He loves. 
Joni Eareckson Tada

Reframe Your Limitations

Take a personal Inventory:

• Physical limitations or health challenges
• Learning differences or educational backgrounds
• Past traumas or failures
• Family history or circumstances
• Personality traits others have criticized
• Skills you wish you had but do not

Nick Vujicic, born without arms or legs, once said, "If you can't get a miracle, become one." Today, his ministry reaches millions.

Your limitation might be your most   platform for witness.

Embrace Your Weaknesses

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 
2 Corinthians 12:9–10

So move from …

• "I can not serve because..."
• "If only I were more..."
• "Once I overcome this..."

To:

• "How might God use this?"
• "What unique perspective does this give me?"
• "Who might relate to my story?"

Steward Your Story

Take a Personal Assessment

• List your perceived limitations
• For each one, ask: "How might God use this?"
• Journal about times when weaknesses became strengths

Community Connection

• Share your story with trusted believers
• Look for others with similar challenges
• Form support groups around common struggles

Ministry Development

• Identify needs in your community that align with
  your experience
• Start small - perhaps one-on-one mentoring
• Be willing to be vulnerable about your journey

Your journey with limitations becomes a testimony.

• Document your growth
• Share lessons learned
• Encourage others facing similar challenges
• Look for God's fingerprints in your struggles
• A recovering addict starting a rehabilitation ministry
• A person with dyslexia developing innovative teaching methods
• Someone with social anxiety creating online communities
• A person with physical disabilities advocating for accessibility
• Someone from a broken home ministering to troubled families

God will never waste your pain.        
Charles Spurgeon

What feels like a limitation today might be God's preparation for tomorrow's ministry.