Beauty In The Mess

Below I want to share something that happened over this past week. This is one of those moments where I am going to be vulnerable and share an area where I am weak. However, when God brought breakthrough it also came with a strategy and also I believe a word that goes beyond personal struggles to be a word that can be applied to our Nation as well as the Body of Christ as well as dealing with internal struggles. So hang onto your hats, baseball bats, and pet your kitty cats while you read through my journey with God. There is something important I believe God wants us to learn.

The last week when I asked Papa what we could do, I heard Him say, “It is time to get our house in order.”

I tried each day, but quickly became overwhelmed and frustrated with the mess of daily life and even internal areas of my life.

Sunday Night, I had enough! Once again, determined to press through the distraction and set my affection on the Lord knowing that I really needed to just find healing in His presence. During this time, this is what happened.

ONE THING AT A TIME: October 1, 2017

All around me are the things before my eyes. Drowning in my shame, anxiety, fear, and tasks of daily life. My mind is all fuzzy with the things I must do. I want to sit quietly but yet my mind will not sit there too. Like a whirlwind of chaos, these thoughts begin to blow. Causing me to be unsteady and my heart is racing because I don’t know which way to go.

I see you standing in front of me, Your eyes are intently on me. My mind has been racing with everything that needs to be done. Yet, I look at you and all I see is peace. My heart turns from chaos to rest in just one look into your holiness. I see you standing before me with Peace. You take my hand and I can see.

 

I can suddenly see all around the things that have been troubling me are falling to the ground. Instead of confusion, there is peace in the sound. The multiple asks and problems fall like papers slowly at my side. What looks like a mess is slowly drifting from my eyes. It still remains at our feet. Yet, I know that one thing is true. My heart can stay focused and your love will see me through.

You pull me a little closer and I sense the shame of this mess around me. You hug me tightly and remind me that you have come to set me free. So with this reminder, I give you every bit of shame.  Hand and hand with you we look at each paper by name. Picking them up piece by piece, suddenly the fear begins to arise. I don’t want to see it’s content, a solution seems so hard to find. Yet steadily we continue putting each one aside. Looking at the piles that slowly begin to grow, I realize there is an order to this chaos I once did know. With this, the fear slowly loses its grip on me. For I am not alone in this sorting out what I need.

Jesus hands each pile to me and whispers, I am giving you strategy. Looking at each paper, something is different in what I had seen before. What seemed like heavy words were clearer and contained truth once more. I looked at the words and what once brought confusion and pain, suddenly I could understand clearly, and I knew that I could find a way. Then He asked for them back and he said, “Do you see my strategy?” I agree it was easier for me to see what I need.

Then he asked for every paper so I put them back in His hand. He took them to a cabinet and put them away. Looking at me He said, “that is enough for you today.“ Come back tomorrow and we will begin. One by one, I will give you what you need to restore order again. For I will give you exactly what you need. No more. No less. Just enough so that you can walk in peace.

This will prevent distractions and this will give you time. To look at me and rest and know that I will help you even in your daily life. So with this, we walked away hand in hand. We went to the garden and decided to sit and listen to something else instead.

Joyfully we gathered,  Father, Son, Holy Spirit, and me. They began telling stories that made me laugh and just enjoy some peace. Are my problems all fixed? Is there more to be done? Heck yeah, there are things that I need to work on. Yet, I know there are times we need to give them over because I need time with Him first, so later the work can be done.

The next day while resting He gave me, this word for myself, the church, and also our nation:

The Lord showed me a picture of things in my own home that needed to be done. Yet I quickly realized this image was not just my house but our nation, as well as the hearts of many who read this. These things and tasks have been almost haunting me with anxiety causing me at times to lose my peace. He then asked me if I would begin with the one task to begin to put my own house in order in order that I can go and work with Him to put other things in order.

I saw an image of many things that were gross and piling up they were stinky and not being cared for properly. Instead of feeling overwhelmed I felt a great peace that I only had one thing to do today so that tomorrow I can attend to others needs. What was my one task for today? Bills. Yuck. But Jesus gave me strategy to make it easy and He gave me something to look forward to beyond that task. I plan to go to my favorite place to spend some time with Him.

THIS IS BIGGER:
I believe this is a word not just for me but for our nation and for us each individually. So many of us have areas where we feel like life is a mess. Sometimes we focus so much on those areas it becomes our whole world. Sometimes we look at it and run the other direction. Sometimes we look at these areas and we feel overwhelmed and hopeless. I believe God is wanting to bring these things to order. Order doesn’t always mean cleaning house and order isn’t always what we think. The order I believe He is wanting to bring is a different view and a different mindset about these areas. I believe God is taking the pieces of our hearts, our families, our world and He is picking them up off the floor of hopeless causes and he is putting His fingerprint on them. He sees them differently and He wants to bring healing, redemption, and even order in a different way than we expect.

No longer do we have to clean up the house before we come to Him. He is saying.

“I am right there in the midst of your mess. My eyes are on you and I see the one whom I love. I am restoring your hearts, your homes, your businesses, your finances, your relationships, one piece at a time. Will you come and let me sort through these things with you. Partner with me and see the strategy. I want you to see the beauty that is in the mess. I am creating something beautiful out of the brokenness. No longer will you have to partner with fear or stand alone. I have come to bring freedom to your hearts, land, and homes.”

I believe this is a word is for our nation as well as the body of Christ and can apply in multiple areas from our government, our home life, our areas of influence, as well as dealing with struggles, sin, and inner healing. As restoration comes not only will we find peace, but it will bring room for increase. There will be problems, there will be work to be done, but the key is we don’t have to do it alone.

In Matt 11:28-30 NLT Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

He is moving us to a place of working, daily, in a small but powerful way to restore us, redeem us, change our mindsets, and drawing us closer to Him. We no longer have to be considered a slave to the areas of brokenness in us and the world around us but walk confidently and boldly in a joyful relationship with Him.  He wants to give us a new view of what is happening around us. Seeing the Goodness of God shining through the darkest of circumstances. Seeing his beauty and grace in even our broken relationships or our children’s messes. Instead of seeing the fact that there is nail polish all over my kids’ hands I see the beautiful moment of my daughter painting my daughter wanting to make mommy’s fingers look pretty and a special moment together.

Isaiah‬ ‭9:4-7‬ ‭NLT‬‬ says, “For you will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders. You will break the oppressor’s rod, just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian. The boots of the warrior and the uniforms bloodstained by war will all be burned. They will be fuel for the fire. For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!”

Yes, we will always have things that need to be cleaned up and it is good to go after those things, but we also need to take time to find beauty in the midst of the messes. Even in those messes at Home, there is so much beauty. My girls joyful messy moments of playing with their toy horses and legos. The joy of those early morning visitors who join Dave and I for a snuggle. This often times ends with us getting the edge of the bed and arms over our heads. It may be messy. Yet, one thing will not Change. We are beautiful and loved!

Helpful Resources:

Spirit-Led Inner Healing by Susan Storm

Friends of Mystic Mama

 

Photo by Senjuti Kundu on Unsplash

Photo by Ricardo Viana on Unsplash