2 minute read
Two Universal Truths About Our Messes
from August 2021
Gò0dNews for Everyone
Two Universal Truths About Our Messes
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by Kristen West
Iam not a big fan of messes.
As a child, I turned inside out at the thought of jumping in a mud puddle. At the first sign of getting my hands dirty during art period in school, I was petitioning my teacher for a hall pass.
Those external preferences of “not getting dirty” seemingly reflected what was also in my heart.
Striving for years to look like I had it all together, my life exploded in what could only be described as “a mess” by anyone.
Divorce, single parenting, moving more times than I can count, remarrying, blending a large family and mentally deprogramming from years of religious cult abuse was, hands down, the messiest season of life I have ever navigated!
I would love to tell you that I cooperated with God wholeheartedly during that season—patiently waiting for Him to guide, direct, and love me through it. But, I did not always.
Many times, I saw the mess and began to work on polishing it, hiding it, or trying to clean it up myself because I did not want others to see it.
Can you relate?
No one wants others to think poorly of them—add to that any amount of pride and ego (which we all have to wrestle with daily). Having messes in our lives is something no one wants to talk about.
Yet, here is the beautiful truth about messes:
They make us all relatable. Galatians 6:2 instructs us to “carry each other’s burdens.” In other words, let us help each other through our messes! We cannot help each other if we are busy putting a gloss-finish on our own issues. Let us be real—the fact that we all have messes in our lives helps us understand, empathize, and have compassion towards each other.
They level the playing field. None of us have attained perfection yet (Romans 3:11) and we all need God’s grace applied to our lives in the same manner (Ephesians 2:8). Messes put all of humanity on equal footing in desperate need of the same life-giving Gospel.
God walks with us through our messes to help develop us so we might grow in His grace, love, and mercy towards others!
Whatever “mess” you find yourself in today, friend, embrace it, trust God in it, and lean on those people around you who can help walk with you through it.
In the words of inspirational author E. Messer, “Having someone help you doesn’t mean that you failed; it just means that you’re not in it alone.”
About The Author Kristen West works at Rock Bridge Community Church with a heart for staff leadership, development, and care. She is a communicator with a passion to inspire, encourage, and challenge others in their daily walk with Christ. She writes and publishes weekly content on her blog at kristen-west.com.
