Rescued & Repurposed

By Lori Gasca

She was found on the side of the road.  Discarded and unwanted. Left for trash.  My friend saw she still had value and snatched her up.  Later, I was fortunate enough to give her a spot in my office where she closely held countless women as they poured out their hearts.  So much healing happened while dreams were birthed, wrapped in her squishy arms. When the Lord called me to “make room for Him” and close my business, she was one of the few things I brought home.

Proudly tucked in the corner of my living room, she's a rust-colored velvet beauty, and though her seat has lost its bounce and the springs popping out below can cut an ankle, I adore her. She reflects me, a little rough around the edges, but rescued and repurposed for good. 

I spend hours in that chair every morning, watching the world wake up outside my window as I drink coffee and listen for Jesus to speak. I was in this old, discarded chair when my story gained a fresh perspective.  For the first time, I could articulate a piece I had kept hidden and unhealed because I didn’t have the words to describe it. 

I knew He wanted me to share my story, but I needed Him to give me the words. In a series of God prompts, I came across this one profound statement: “A coerced yes is a NO!” 40 years of pain was set free, releasing a flood of clarity like a dam breaching.  Healing rushed in, washing away decades of guilt and heaviness.  A freedom broke through my personal shame, all because I took time to sit with Him in prayer, listening more than I spoke. 

When shame tightly clings, prayer can become the very instrument needed to loosen its grip by reawakening truth, re-centering our identity in Christ, and opening a channel through which healing flows. “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; neither be disgraced.” (Isaiah 54:4) This promise allows you to show up proudly in this world with a Kingdom daughter posture and purpose. 

First, prayer helps us discern the source of our inner voices. Shame often masquerades as truth, whispering, “You are not enough” or “Your past has disqualified you.” Prayer trains our spirit to distinguish between lies and truth. The voice of shame is designed to kill, steal, and destroy. (John 10:10) The voice of God breathes hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11) In prayer, we make space for God to help us discern the difference. 

Second, prayer releases unresolved pain. Shame lives in the hidden rooms of the heart, often rooted in wounds that never found a safe place to heal. Jesus despised shame.  Hebrews 12:2 tells us He endured the cross for the joy set before Him. When we bring our pain to God in prayer, we invite the work of the cross into our own stories. We don’t bypass grief; we allow it to meet the healing hands of the Father.  Through prayer, the hurt is named, so that the memory no longer owns us. 

Third, prayer allows you to see your identity through God’s eyes. Shame says, “My story is a stain.” Time in prayer says, “My story is a testament of grace and beauty.” This is not a one-time act but a posture: running again and again to the Father, bringing every insecurity, every tear, every fear, to Him, letting Him remap your sense of self. Each time you come to Him in prayer, He reaffirms you are forgiven and capable, by His power, to move forward into His promise and purpose.

When I made room for Jesus in that prayer chair, I was able to:

• Step confidently into full-time ministry by launching BloomHER Collective

• Move into the final stages of my first book, What Is Prayer: Real Answers, From Real Women

• Shift my annual women’s conference into a full Kingdom event

The 4th Annual Growth Summit is now a transformational, faith-based leadership gathering for women seeking God’s purpose for their lives. This year’s theme is Rescued & Repurposed.   Will you join us?

Author: Lori Gasca spent 30-plus years doing the entrepreneurial hustle until God changed her definition of success. She went from full-time striving to full-time ministry. As an author,  public speaker, and Founder of the nonprofit ministry BloomHER Collective, she leads women out of shame-filled overachieving into God-designed purpose.

URLS: www.bloomhercollective.com -

www.lorigasca.info

Socials: @bloomhercollective and @lorigasca