Did I have a hard time tuning out the rustling coming from somewhere upstairs? Yeah. Did the dryer go off more than once, pleading with me to finally, for the love, finish yesterday’s laundry? Oh, yes. But was God here…or did He refuse to spend time with me until I cleaned up my act?
He was here. Harder to hear? More difficult to sense? Sure. But He was here, right in the middle of my mess. So the reminder to you today? God moves in our messes, both visible and invisible…literal and figurative.
Because you know what I’ve found? God has a real soft spot for messes.
It’s all over Scripture – how Jesus seeks out the people whose lives aren’t perfect and who aren’t in a place they would want the world to see. He’s drawn to messes. He’s drawn to imperfect people and places. He reminded us that the healthy don’t need a doctor, but the sick. He came – He sought out – the ones who didn’t have it all together.
The beautiful places are great for meeting with God. When I have traveled to Belize on mission trips, I am as excited about my quiet time in the tropical garden of our camp as I am about seeing the people I love. When I go on vacation, I love to find the most picturesque place I can (and yeah, I’ll probably post pictures). And at my house…well, I wish I had an isolated corner with a big, comfy chair with sunlight streaming through a picture window overlooking my perfectly-tended garden, but I don’t. I have an unkempt kitchen and artificial lighting.
So what I really want to say to you today is this: the mess is okay. God can meet with you in the mess. He will meet with you in the mess. While it may be less distracting to be in a tidy, Instagram-worthy place, the truth is that life is not tidy and Instagram-worthy. Life has messes. God does not require our hearts to be cleaned up before we come to Him, and He does not hesitate at the doorway of a cluttered house before coming in and spending time with us.
If we are able to push the mess aside for a little while – to disregard the cereal bowls and laundry baskets for a little while – God will meet us right there. He will step into our messes and equip us to handle them. He will come, and we will see Him.
God really does have a special place in His heart for messes. He chose me, after all, and I’m a pretty big ol’ mess. He just doesn’t mind the mess nearly as much as I do.
Because life’s a mess and so am I,
***
This article originally appeared at JessicaBolyard.com.
