I was reading a book one morning, and this quote stood out to me. “Embrace the glorious mess that you are.” As a teacher, you are used to messes all around you. As soon as the kids walk in their jackets and backpacks on the floor first thing in the morning, they get dropped off. Then, the pile of legos and blocks poured out of the organized bins with a label and picture printed and laminated on it so that when it’s time for them, I mean me to clean it up, it has a designated place. The craft station has always been my favorite mess because I look at it from two perspectives. One is that all the supplies have been scattered across the table, and the supplies that once had a place are no longer there. Glitter and glue seem to stick to everything, and the floor is covered with drops of water that had been shaken off the paintbrush to start a new dip of color for their creation. That is a mess I get to clean up later! But as the mess grows on the table, I begin to see how the children are seeing the activity, whether I have made an example of what it’s supposed to look like or if it’s a free craft day where they get to use their imaginations and show me what they think. That is a glorious mess showing their personalities and views of the world. So beautiful, right?
When I’m taking it easy at home, one of my favorite networks to watch is the Magnolia Network because I love not only Joanna Gains and her designs but also watching the creativity of others. I may not have skills, but I can admire and still learn from the thirty-minute show. From pottery to gardening, cooking, and home decor, I love seeing how God places these passions in others, and often, it starts messy! In pottery, the clay starts to firm, and then once the water is added, the clay becomes moldable to shape how the pottercraftsman sees the clay. I don’t like the feeling of wet clay. It must be a sensory thing of mine, but I love watching it! I have tons of pottery in my apartment because the colors, shapes, and textures are fun.
But the process of making my lovely clay vase didn’t start that way.
It was firm and had to be cut from the mold it came from.
Then it had to be worked, and moisture had to be added to make it workable.
When water is added, the pottery wheel begins to spin, and the hand-to-hand contact shapes the clay.
The potter’s hands begin to change color based on the clay’s natural color, and their hands become messy.
Jesus is the ultimate potter. He chose who we would become because He created us. He molded us into what we’d look like. He chose the color of our skin, texture of our hair, and the color of our eyes. When He created us, He gave us a choice to choose Him and to listen to the Holy Spirit so our hearts could stay smooth and moldable to what He calls us to do. But let’s be honest, sometimes life gets messy.
When life gets messy we often want to retreat instead of puruse what is happening. We see the mess and instantly want to clean it up and wash our hands of the reminents. As if it never happend so that others don’t see the mess we are, but if we start seeing our messes and embrace them we can recieve what God has for us in that season grace.
The picture I chose for this post, I think, shows it simply. This girl’s hands are covered in wet clay. She was creating something. She has a vision for what it will become, but it is messy! Working through our mess is the only way to see the beauty in the creation later. We should be able to embrace our mess full of grace for ourselves and one day walk with someone walking through their mess and sharing grace through your messy testimony and experiences.
Getting messy isn’t glamorous.
Getting messy means going deep.
Getting messy means not always having a moldable heart, but if we choose grace for ourselves through Jesus, we can become moldable again.
Choosing messy might mean surrender which leads to trusting the process.
I believe in a God that loves the messy and desires to give us a fresh start. That while I’m trying to figure out my mess He is shaping my heart and giving me fresh grace when I think I am unmoldable and unchangable. The potters hands are in it all. My God’s hands hold me through it all. So friends, get messy and allow Jesus to continue to mold your heart, passions, and messy situations. Only through Him can we embrace the mess and one day see the glorious mess we are!
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