Why I Want To Be A Messy Person
I never thought I would say that.
I know I have mentioned this story in the past, but it stands repeating since this is the perfect example of how messy and Kristin do not always match up. One day I was busy preparing food for many occasions when a youth group kid randomly stopped by. As they all know, we have an open door policy, so it was not uncharacteristic for kids to come over at any time of the day. Early morning, noon, or at night. Well, I heard the knock on the door and didn’t think anything of it, but as he stepped in, he commented “Mrs. Sterk, I’ve never seen your house so messy!”
There have been a fair number of occasions as well, when the voice in my head says “boy I sure hope Dan doesn’t come home and see the disaster Mazy and I made today!”
It only took one time for Dan to say, “man the house was a disaster before you came home” for me to realize that I am not the only one in the boat! We both have come home and toys were spread all over the house, and we know that it’s only because we loved our child well that day!
And that is where I am learning that messiness is okay.
Why can’t we agree to agree that life and motherhood is just messy? I am not just talking about a physical messiness. Our homes sure can look like a complete disaster, as if 20 toddlers decided to come and relocate every item in your house.
I am talking about life and life can just be MESSY.
In some of my deepest struggles, from not being able to have my own children for many years, to physical heart issues, to some hurts from our past, I feel like our life has been anything from neat and clean.
I have found though, in being open and honest about our struggles in life, that other’s lives too, can be just as messy. Wouldn’t life just be a whole lot easier if we were all just open and honest with each other? If we were real with ourselves and even more so, real with those around us, that we do not have it altogether? That life throws us a messy situation sometimes?
People may walk into our home when it’s at it’s worst, when it looks like those toddlers really did come through with bats in hand, and what is our response? Do we try to hide it? Do we try to shove it all in a closet, in hopes that no one opens the secret parts of our home to reveal our true selves?
What if we started to open the doors of our hearts and reveal that messiness? Reveal our deepest struggles?
Jesus Christ doesn’t just want our neatly put together homes and even more so, just our neatly put together lives. He came for those too, but I believe even more so, He came to befriend our messiness. To help us carry the load. To help piece our lives back together, when everything seems to be awry.
So next time, when that person unexpectedly comes over, don’t mask the imperfection. Don’t mask the messiness. And don’t mask the messiness in your heart when that friend or family member truly asks how you are doing.
Practice first by letting it all out to God, the one who has gone before us and walked a pretty messy road Himself. A road that eventually led Him to the cross, where He took our messiness upon Himself and left it on the cross. He is ready to receive our imperfections if we are only willing to open up our lives to Him.
You won’t regret it!Top Photo Source
