Philippians 4:23 – Receive and experience the amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, deep, deep within yourselves.

Gratitude Day 806

Oh vey! Life can be messy sometimes!!

Literally, things feel rather messy at my house these days. We moved. Before the movers unloaded the moving van, I suggested to Hubby Rick that maybe it would be best for most everything to go into the basement until some house projects were finished. I felt it is just easier to unpack when I’m ready for a space to be unpacked. In the meantime, we’re patching meals together, sorting through boxes for the one thing we are looking for and trying to get a couple little projects chinked off the list each day/week.

And then, I left for a few days with a few friends on a girls trip.

Timing is everything, right?

My gracious husband said it was OK for me to leave a list of “suggestions” for him to work on while I was gone. He had other things planned, i.e. – ice fishing with a grandson, which are higher priority than anything in the house.

He and I have accepted the reality that it will be OK for us to live in a mess for a while. We did it for a few months which led to a few years last time around. A month or two should be doable, right?

It is a great re-lesson for me. Life is rarely completely pretty and easy and just as we want it. Messy is more normal for many of us. I say, “Embrace the mess as much as you can!”

Just in case we forget, Jesus loved to show up in the messiness of people’s lives. When the religious leaders wanted to stone to death the adulterous woman who, Jesus reminded them that only the person who has not sinned could throw a stone at her. A lame man spent his life near the edge of a pool, waiting for someone, anyone to help relieve his pain. Yep, it was Jesus who wasn’t afraid that he might catch whatever this man had and reached out to him.

Life is seldom totally orderly. Rarely is everything “just as we would like.” Most often, it’s crazy, silly and messy.

So, can we be OK with messy? And embrace that Jesus is with us, no matter how messy our lives may see and feel?

Jesus shows up in our messes, just as Jesus shows up when things feel more in order. Jesus is there always, every day. WE are the ones who CHOOSE whether we want to experience the amazing grace Jesus longs to share with us.

Do yourself a favor: ALLOW Jesus to see and witness and be a part of ALL your messiness. You can thank God later.

OK. Here’s a few crazy, slightly unbelievable ways that God showed up in my messy life this week.

When you travel to Oklahoma and run into your friends from Minnesota. My friends and I went to a particular restaurant in a little town in Oklahoma one morning for breakfast. Much to my amazement, my dear friend Bonnie Mohr and her husband John were sitting there eating breakfast! They are from Minnesota and on their way home from Texas. Crazy. But true.

Bonnie and John are dairy farmers. They haven’t been on a vacation in over a year. And we chose to eat breakfast at the same place? We shared our lives for a few minutes before they got back on the road. It had snowed near their home and they were anxious to get going.

Check out some of Bonnies beautiful inspirational art.

When you see a friend that you haven’t seen in about 15 years and you pick up like you had a conversation yesterday. These are the real-deal friends. Thank you, Robin, for being one of mine. We shared our highlights and the messy parts of our lives as well. It was WONDERFUL.

When you get to see the really cool boarding rooms in town … and your friend is standing on the other side of the double glass shower, you just HAVE to take a picture. We were both taking pictures and dying laughing. This is what you do when life gets messy: you celebrate the silly, funny things! Yep, the towels are messy in the background. Oh well. The funniest photo from our little trip.

If you feel like is messy and you are worn, check out this song:

Where does your life feel a bit messy these days? Have you invited Jesus to be part of your messiness? Are you willing to give yourself and others the space to work through the messiness? Maybe chatting with a dear friend can help you work through this. It sure does me!

Friend: God is with you, no matter how messy your life may be. God wants to journey through the messiness with you. Please invite Jesus to be your guide.

Amen.

For knowing that Jesus is with me in the messiness, I am grateful.

Blessings –

Loving God – thank you for extending me amazing grace even when my life feels worn and messy. Thank you for accepting me the way I am. May I appreciate little moments of surprise and happiness that happen and allow me to say, “Wow! Here’s God!” Amen.

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