A Message within the Mess

When showing our weakness to others points them to Christ, it makes it worth the embarrassment. Last week I was running late. This isn't a typical morning but the type of morning where the kids won't listen, you're missing one shoe and someone forgot to brush their hair. That morning I forgot my lid for my coffee, so I spilled it in the car trying to be a Nascar driver on the way to church. Though there are many ays when everything seems to fall apart, Sundays seem harder to get ready for than any other day of the week. When I pulled into the parking lot, I finished buckling and gave the speech about how we are to smile and be friendly when others approach us. Fake it til' you make it, right?  When we show our weaknesses of not having our lives all together and allow people into our bubble or chaos, that's when God can use our mess for His message.

Still Striving to be like God
No one is perfect. I'm sorry to break it to you, but it's the truth. Romans 3:23 says clearly "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". We all have to make a choice everyday to spend time with the LORD. This time that we set apart to read our Bible and pray, is how we strengthen our relationship with our Creator. It is our opportunity to allow God to speak to us, and accept His invitation for a deeper understanding of who He is; we are also able to adjust our lives to His will. It is one thing to spend time with God on Sundays but we should be spending time with Him everyday. Most people I know spend this " Quiet Time" in the mornings to start their day, but as long as we choose to set time apart, that is what allows change to take place in our hearts and lives. Let the Holy Spirit lead you, guide you and teach you, filling your spirit up for the rest of the day. After this time that we devote to the Lord is spent, we are better able to see when we make mistakes, and repent. 

God uses our mistakes for His glory
When we do make a mistake and repent, God teaches us through the experience to draw us closer to Him. To repent is to turn away from, to change. I have heard that when we turn away from something we must then turn toward something else, that being Christ. This doesn't mean that we say we are sorry but continue to make the same mistakes over and over.  When true repentance takes place, God renews our relationship with Him. When we change to be more like Christ, we allow Him to be able to use us for His glory.  Lamentations 3:22-23, states, "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness".  Even when we are unfaithful, how incredible it is to know that God is always faithful to us. This should inspire us to pursue Him and make Him our priority. This does require discipline, to choose to put God first everyday. When our motivation is love then the discipline becomes a desire. Desire to glorify God by loving Him and choosing to daily repent and strive to walk closer with Him. 

He gets the Glory
When we repent and change our lives according to His will, by our actions, we give God the glory. We trust in Him to accept our change of action by faith, to become renewed. He does the work for us, and our change gives Him glory. We are never able to change ourselves or anyone around us. He does the work for us by our faith to change our perspective of the choices we make. An act of worship is choosing to adjust our lives to His will. We can do this by meaning what we say, by living out our lives as God intended, by desiring Him daily. We must accept that we are not in control. By daily repenting and continuously striving to walk closer and closer to God, our actions of our renewed character will point people to Christ. Matthew 5:16 says "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven". When we point to Christ in all that we do and say, He receives the glory.

Willing to be vulnerable
When we are vulnerable in front of others it allows hearts to be softened and points them to Christ. This vulnerability allows people around us to realize that just because we are saved doesn't mean that we have everything figured out, or put together perfectly. To show our mess opens others' hearts to realize that they are not alone. We all need help. God does work for us all. Next time you are running late and everything is falling apart, choose to embrace the mess. Let's all strive to show our weakness, to encourage one another in the midst of chaos. Instead of faking it, let's make a choice to be vulnerable so our weakness can encourage those around us.  Imagine that we have it all together all the time, then what work does God need to do for us? How will we tell others how God changed us if we never expressed how far we have come through His strength?

by Hannah Austin