I want my life to be messy. Not messy as in, “I don’t know what’s going on, everything is in complete chaos.” But messy as in there’s always something or somebody to give my attention to, always a challenge to love more, serve more, practice more patience, more humility, and greater dependence on the Lord.
Messiness is no doubt a challenge for my flesh. My flesh loves comfort, ease, the expected, and to give just enough of myself that it doesn’t really cost me any of those things previously mentioned. I think inviting messiness in looks a lot like accepting the brokenness and imperfections of others. And doing so humbly, requires us to recognize our own brokenness and need for God. Some of us might hide it better than others. I resort to perfectionism and distraction. Neither of which cause me to walk in greater faith or surrender. The truth is, some situations are too big for me to handle. They feel impossible. But God can handle anything. He can and will supply the supernatural and sustaining strength that can sustain us when hope feels impossible to hold onto.
Accepting messiness is much easier said than done and I’m not saying that I’ve done it. Loving God comes with sacrifice. A sacrifice of our will, our “plan,” and our desires to do what pleases us. Welcoming messiness in is a sacrifice. Circumstances can be challenging and refining, but I’m talking about the messiness that we choose, that we invite into our lives. At 22 years old, messiness in my life looks like helping take care of my aging father without grumbling (which I often find myself doing). It looks like teaching middle schoolers with compassion and integrity when I’m exhausted from a long week. It also looks like committing to serve in local ministries (YoungLife and Fellowship of Christian Athletes) that aim to seek and save lost people through the Good News of the Gospel.
Messiness in my life will likely change as time goes on and I hope that it does. But my prayer is that I always make room to welcome brokenness instead of chasing a perfection that I will never reach. So my question is, how can you welcome messiness in your life? I invite you to pray and ask God what messiness He might be asking you to say yes to.
- Summer Broadbridge
