My Mess

Do you feel the pressure to be perfect? I’m personally learning how not to. Honestly, expecting perfection out of myself is just my own pride. Since when have I ever been perfect? And we ALL know I never will be. And God doesn’t expect me to be. He actually says he prefers my weakness so his glory can shine through. 

So can we all agree that we are GOING to mess up and that is OKAY? That life is messy and there is nothing wrong with that? 

OOF. Easier said than done, right? 

We want to do things with excellence and that’s good! We should be working hard for the Father! But in this God KNOWS we’re going to fail. He expects messy. 

I like to give the picture of a father I know who loves letting his 3 year old make breakfast with him. Imagine this toddler cracking eggs. Not my friend holding his child’s hand and actually doing it for him while calling it helping but actually standing and watching the mess unfold before his eyes. There’s going to be eggshells in the bowls and eggs all over the counter. What about stirring pancake mix? I can’t do that without a mess and I’m 26 years old. So you’re getting the picture, right? That kitchen is going to look like an utter disaster. But my friend lets the mess happen anyways. This is for multiple reasons. 

One, the child LOVES it and the father loves having fun with his kid. God loves doing life with us. It doesn’t matter that every time we do something for him he has a mess to clean up afterwards. He could very easily just do it on his own but he says, “No, I want you to be a part of this.” He doesn’t expect perfection or get upset when it’s messy. Even when we think it’s perfect, he’s still cleaning up the edges. He asks you to be a part of things, not like a boss who wants you to get things done flawlessly, but like a father who loves you and loves spending time with you. 

Two, that child is learning lessons and developing skills. God doesn’t NEED you to do what he’s asking you to do. He can do it on his own. He’s inviting you into it. He knows that you are going to grow, develop, and mature by stepping into something that’s not easy for you. There is going to be a mess but he is willing to clean it up for the good of your growth and His glory. 

The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few! (Matthew 9:37) I can’t help wondering if the workers are few because we are fearful of getting dirty. We are afraid to mess up and do things imperfectly. 

God wants to do things through us even though we’ll mess it up. Ooh. And get this one. He wants to do things through your neighbor, friend, coworker, and fellow church goer you disagree with even though they will mess up. 

Can you let go of that control? Can you trust the Holy Spirit inside of someone else? Maybe they’re not even listening to God. Maybe you really would be better at it. That’s okay. If it’s not for you, don’t pick it up. You don’t have to fully trust that that person won’t screw everything up. You just have to trust that WHEN (not if) they make an absolute mess GOD WILL STILL MOVE. 

That’s right. God can use anyone anywhere at anytime and he’s not afraid of the mess.

To have the workers out getting the harvest it’s going to get messy. To have oxen working the field it’s going to make the barn dirty. He’s already declared it’s worth the part he plays as janitor to let us actually be a part of everyday life. 

How many times can I say it? Go ahead! Mess up! Let other people mess up! There is freedom to fail! He expects it! He wants it! He loves it!