3 Reasons to Be Thankful for Your Messy Life
If you were to step into my home office, you’d see a mess. Handwritten notes and other papers litter my desk. There are stray Legos on the floor. A dozen cardboard boxes filled with books are stacked behind me (they’re part of my new Fulfillment by Amazon business). There are also a couple of baskets of laundry that need to be folded and put away.
My personality* dictates that things be tidy, but my life is usually not that way. Plus, I live with two people who are definitely not neat freaks. Sometimes all I want is just to have one day where all the bills are paid, the house is clean and the dishes are done, and all my emails are answered.
Have you ever felt that way? It’s easy to look at your messy, incomplete life and be dissatisfied because everything isn’t neatly organized and “just so.” But there are three great reasons to be thankful for the beautiful mess known as your life.
1. A messy life means you’re alive.
When you think about the alternative, messes aren’t so bad, are they? It’s much better to be alive and breathing than, well, not alive and breathing. We often take life for granted, as if it will go on forever and nothing will change. But we know that’s not true.
My father called a few days ago to tell me my Great Uncle Art had passed away. He was almost 90 years and lived a full and blessed life. Maybe you’ve had a friend or family member pass away recently. Each time someone we love exits this life, we grieve because we know that life is valuable and precious, even with the messes and imperfections.
2. A messy life means you’re in process.
A couple of years ago Jeff Goins wrote a book called The In-Between: Embracing the Tension Between Now and the Next Big Thing. I love that title because everyone can relate to the tension we feel while waiting for our dreams to become reality.
Have you ever noticed that musicians are a messy bunch? Anytime you see a group of musicians together, you’re going to see food wrappers, drink containers, maybe some printed music, broken strings and busted drumsticks, and all manner of electronic equipment ranging from laptops and lighting gear to guitar pedals and sound boards.
Making music is a messy process. So is every other kind of creative work. The mess is what leads you to the finished product. Messes are the gateway to great art.
3. A messy life means you’re human.
One of the things I love about the Bible is that it doesn’t gloss over the weaknesses of the heroes of the faith. Joseph’s brothers hated him. David committed adultery (and wasn’t the world’s greatest father). Peter wavered in his faith and denied Jesus. Paul was apparently hard to get along with sometimes.
All of these leaders had messy lives and were often just as dysfunctional and you and me. Their lives would have made for great reality television.
They were children of God who wanted to do great things, but they were also messed-up sinners with significant problems at times. Can we expect anything different from ourselves?
Where are your messes? Home? Church? School? Work? Wherever they are, you’re in good company. We’re all just imperfect kids playing in God’s great big sandbox.
Don’t resent your messy life. Embrace it for what it is—a striking tapestry woven in shadow and light, silence and symphony.
How has God made a tapestry out of your beautiful mess?
* A bit about my personality, for those interested:
- On the Myers-Briggs, I’m an ISTJ
- On the DiSC, I’m a high C, with a secondary S.
- On the Enneagram, I’m a 5 with a “wing” 8.
Image source: Pexels
