Pastor Michael Todd of Transformation Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is getting personal about his own struggles. Speaking to The Christian Post about his new book, Damaged but not Destroyed, Todd shared that God doesn’t look for perfect people to do His will. “When I search Scripture, there is nobody that God uses that was not damaged. [We] can go from Adam, we can go to Moses, we can go to Abraham, we can go to everybody in the lineage except Jesus. He was the only one who was not damaged but then chose to be damaged so that we could be free. It is God’s will for all of us to be able to bring our damage to Him,” he said.
The book is a personal journey for Todd, sharing his experiences of sexual and generational trauma and poor decisions that have led him to where he is today. He stated that despite the things he has experienced, he doesn’t let them define him. “Do something with what happened to you. If you actually allow all of the damage to no longer define you, you give it to the One who can turn your pieces into a masterpiece or your mess into a message that changes the trajectory of your life. God gets the glory, and we get healed.” Todd shared that he had chosen to be vulnerable to show that even pastors struggle. “I really do believe that the church has done the world a disservice by acting like pastors and ministers are perfect.,” he said. “They’re people. And they’re people that are still in need of a Savior. As long as we present the idea of perfection, everybody feels disqualified.” He went on to add, “I don’t have to be perfect. I don’t have to be right. I can make mistakes. But as long as I keep moving forward, as long as I keep my faith in front, as long as I keep saying ‘I’m sorry,’ and stay humble and keep doing that thing. I believe that the Lord is close to the humble in heart; it’s what He says, but He’s far away from the proud.”
He also stated he wanted his readers to be encouraged to embrace “therapy and theology.” “I’m just encouraging people through this book. I’ve done the work, and I’m not talking about something I hope will happen. I have seen God transform my life because I’ve embraced theology and therapy. I took all my damage, and now it has pushed me to destiny.” Todd shared more about his book and experiences on “The Tamron Hall Show.” “I think a lot of times, especially in this culture, we’re trying to hide, fake, and project,” he explained, “and a lot of times, you cannot get healed if you don’t reveal.”
Focus on the Family shared some insights for the Christians struggling with trauma. “We live in a fallen world where terrible things happen. Many people can experience psychological trauma from such events. However, trials and tribulations are guaranteed on this side of heaven for all of us,” the ministry encourages. Despite the guarantee of difficulty, Focus on the Family offers encouragement to believers as well. “Viewing difficult situations with Godly lenses and responding in healthy ways strengthens our brain chemistry. We grow psychologically, and we become more spiritually mature. The Bible calls this ‘renewing the mind,’ and it leads to transformed abundant living. When adversity presents itself, God is sovereign. On this side of eternity, we may never know why certain traumatic experiences happen. We do know, however, that He wants to use hardship to make us stronger.”