The Fun in the Mess

My soul longs to create... and I am a messy creative. As I write this I am sitting on my bed, next to two hat boxes full of paper, pens, and fun little things to add to my journals and Bible.

When I am in the midst of creating it looks like chaos. This is a lot like how my life can feel when God is in the middle of creating something in me. You know those times when you just can’t seem to get things in order or peg down what is going on inside of you. In my book I liken it to God stirring up the water of my soul. I think most of us go through these seasons if we allow God to work on our hearts and it seems like it’s part of the sanctifying process. But when I’m in the middle of His creative process, too often I get angry. I am completely out of control and there is not pretending. And this morning I am reminded of how the physical world mirrors the spiritual and am praying next time I feel the mess that comes with God’s creativity, I remember how fun it can be. Twice last week I heard someone quote C.S. Lewis pointing out that we need to let God be as creative in other people as He has been in us. To me that means we need to stop preaching personal convictions as His law. Too often I forget that God works differently in other people than He does in me. When I see someone going down a path I have been on, I want to tell them how to get out. Haha, or more often than not I want to point out the path they are on. When their behavior and struggles rub me the wrong way it is so hard to just love them. Because let’s face it, there are certain personalities that get on our nerves. For too long I thought that once someone walked with God a while, we will all get along because aren’t we all being transformed. And doesn’t that mean everyone will eventually look like me? And as I type that out the absurdity of it makes me laugh and breaks my heart at the same time. The truth is life with others is messy. If you’re anything like me you tend to surround yourself with people who are “your kind of messy” because it’s easier. People who are messy like me and have my same struggles don’t require a lot of grace because I get why they do what they do. But just like when I create my beautiful things and need to have the paint and the pens and the torn paper out so they’re easily accessible, it may look messy in the lives of others when God is creating His masterpiece in them. So this morning I pray I remember to let Him be as creative in everyone else as He is with me… and as He lets me be creative in the world around me