Life gets messy. No matter
how hard we try to prevent turbulence, it happens - flinging debris and rumble
everywhere. Ugh. What a Mess!
I always seem to buy into
the illusion that control is supposed to stop disasters and many times, good
planning does divert them; but imagine my aggravation when some calamities are
not avoided. Boom – the MESS! Frustration motivates me to become wreckage
manager. I mumble through the chaos, fixing blame and promising myself it will
never happen again. Ha. Who am I kidding?
I was reminded of a worthy
lesson the other day when my family worked together to clean the huge construction
mess in the Resource Center. We could have complained at the layers of dirt,
rocks and wood chips covering the floor that should have been cleaned earlier.
We could have whinnied over the choking dust and smoldering heat. Don’t get me
wrong, there was some of that; but overall I watched a transformation. God used
a MESS for my family to function like a team - unifying with a common goal,
encouraging one another and focusing on finishing well.
After 4 hours of shoveling,
sweeping and dumping, the MESS was gone. It felt good. Real good. We sat for a
while in the setting sun, enjoying rest before heading home. Mark sent us off
with an evening prayer:
“Thanks Lord for helping hands to clean the MESS. With
the clutter gone, we can use this building as a shady kitchen for the upcoming
leadership conference.”
On the drive home I think about
the current messes in my life – adoption confusion, accidents, paperwork
delays, broken vehicles, security threats. They are not met to provoke anger or
confusion. They are intended to mold my character, to become more Christ-like
in my attitude and actions, to make me realize life is not mine to governor,
but to give in service to others in Jesus name. Romans 5:3-4, James 1:2-4.
hugs from the haugers Ooo0o