My wife loves to tell me, “You’re my mess!!”  I then ask her, “How is that?” Before I can get that question out of my mouth, she says, “You start projects you don’t finish.  You are always into some type of mischief. You speak your mind, so I never know what you are going to say out in public.” I am guilty of all of those charges, but I am not alone, despite my wife’s verdict.  We are all a mess.

From her song, “If We’re Honest”, Francesca Battistelli sings:

Truth is harder than a lie,

the dark seems safer than the light.

And everyone has a heart that loves to hide.  

I’m a mess and so are you.

We’ve built walls nobody can get through

Yeah, it may be hard, but the best thing we could ever do, ever do

Bring your brokenness, and I’ll bring mine

‘Cause love can heal what hurt divides

And mercy’s waiting on the other side

If we’re honest.

Don’t pretend to be something that you’re not

Living life afraid of getting caught

There is freedom found when we lay our secrets

down at the cross, at the cross

So bring your brokenness, and I’ll bring mine

‘Cause love can heal what hurt divides

And mercy’s waiting on the other side

If we’re honest.

The brokenness that Francesca sings about, seems to be the new catchword for…sinfulness. In other words, we are broken because of our sin.  Since I have to live with myself, I’ve never had a hard time believing that we are all natural born sinners. I’m aware of my junk. David said, “For I was born a sinner–yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.” (Psalm 51:5 NLT)

However, the church today seems to just focus on our original spiritual state, instead of also focusing on our current spiritual state.  Let me explain. I believe there is a big difference between a person who is born a sinner, and a Christian who “stays” in a sin. It is sad that revivals are a thing of the past that churches used to lead and conduct. We need reviving.

So what can happen if sin is no longer talked about or preached about-as much? The grace that God so freely offers (through the innocent shed blood of Jesus Christ) gets abused.  Melissa Reagan explains: “Still under the liberty of grace we sometimes forget the call to righteousness; we become so proud of being a hot mess that we live however, do whatever, whenever, because grace covers it all.”  Our country and our churches need a revival!

Some messes we cause.  Some we do not. Some messes we cannot clean up ourselves. Sheila Walsh offers hope, “This truth is hard to grasp, but you can stake your life on it: even when everything seems a mess, you can press your face into the mane of the Lion of Judah and trust Him.”  What needs resuscitating in your spiritual life?

pictures courtesy of “Nelson & his Nikon”