It’s ok to be messy.

It’s ok to be messy. It really is. You can forget stuff, slack on your responsibilities, be lazy.

It’s ok to have been messy. I’m 100% positive about this. It’s ok if you veered off the right path, neglected your health, even made horrible mistakes.

It’s ok to think messy thoughts. I know this to be true. It’s ok if you think you’re fat, dread going to work, wish you could throat punch someone.

It’s ok to look messy, too. I feel this often. It’s ok if your hair comes out in handfuls in the shower, if you got a little (or a lot of) fluff around the waist, if you have wide feet that won’t fit in cute sandals.

But you know what’s not ok? It’s not ok to not try. It’s not ok to take our eye off the prize. It’s not ok to try to handle everything ourselves or stop trying to handle anything at all. It’s also not ok to allow ourselves to forget who made us and who can make it all right again. None of that is ok and can make life not ok. And when life is not ok, it’s like we’re in quicksand.

(Side Note: Cartoons and evening dramas of my childhood led me to believe that actual quicksand would be a bigger problem in life than it has proven to be. For this, I am thankful.)

Anyway…

Romans 8:28 says that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose”. That means that ALL THINGS (even the messy ones) can be worked out and can be made good if we actively seek God and his purpose for us.

I am super guilty of being messy. I am also guilty of not seeking God or even giving a minute’s thought to what purpose he might have for me. I get lost in my messiness and so covered up in messy that I feel heavy with it and just want to sulk in my messy corner. I make excuses sometimes, too, and try to justify my messiness. Worse yet, I forget to seek God in the midst of my messy and try to handle it all myself.

Then I remember. Then I am shaken by a verse, by something someone says. Then I am reminded that it’s ok to be messy and that messy can be turned around in an instant if I stop being foolish, stop trying to fly solo, and stop whining.

I remember that I love God and for sure want to seek him and his purpose for me. I remember that he can clean up my messes, forgive my messy mistakes, and redeem my messy heart.

If you’re messy right now, or if you’ve been messy, it’s ok. Forget that messy foolishness just long enough to remind yourself that IN ALL THINGS (all of them, every last one, even the big, giant awful messy ones) God works for good. You just have to try. You have to want to be less messy and make an effort toward cleaning it all up so you can begin to head in the direction of his purpose for you. I promise, he will show you. And I promise that “messy” can have a really cool purpose sometimes.

(Another Side Note: Worry about your own messy. Don’t be pointing out other people’s mess. Self awareness is a big deal, and if you’re always picking apart somebody else’s messiness, well…that speaks to some messy inside you that you need to work out. Did you get that?)

Let’s acknowledge our own messiness today and just stop for a minute. Stop spinning, stop whining, stop wallowing in it. Stop celebrating it, stop making excuses for it, stop wearing it like a badge of honor. Let’s tell ourselves that it’s ok to be messy, then let’s let go of it all and ask God to make us better according to his awesome plan for us.