HIDING MESSES

“Go, clean your room!”  

Do you remember when Mom told you to do it?  I can imagine you became an expert at not cleaning your room.  Am I right?  If anything, we became experts at hiding our mess instead.  Where did it go?  The Top Three:  #1-Under the bed.  #2-Shoved in the closet. #3-In the hamper (All clothes, clean or dirty).  Did your room look clean?  Yes.  Was it clean?  No.  That’s us, experts at hiding our mess.

Can I ask, what was your morning like?  I can almost bet some time was spent in front of the mirror, perfecting the look:  Making sure that wayward hair was in place.  Hiding the blemishes.  Clearing unwanted breakfast imbedded in your facial hair.  Decorating with makeup.  Clearing the nostrils of obstructions.  Making sure the teeth sparkled.  No matter how hard facing that morning face is,  we realize if we don’t face it and make the proper adjustments, others will face our morning face in all its glory.  Here’s the problem:  Often we spend the time perfecting the outside and have no thought about what’s happening  in the inside.  We’re still experts at hiding our mess.

That’s right!  I’m calling out your mess!  The one hiding behind that smile.  That mess behind the layers of spiffy clothes and coiffed hair.  It’s possible to look nice on the outside while the inside is looks like one of those episodes of hoarders.  

Why do we hide messes?  I’m convinced it’s because we’re not qualified to fix it.  If we could fix it, we would have long ago.  So what do we do with it?  Keep it hidden.  What we need is an Expert Excavator.  We need a Great Physician.  We need a Wonderful Counselor.  

David put it this way:  23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalms 139:23-24

Is there anyone better at searching and testing and seeing what’s under the surface and leading us away from our offensive messiness?  He’s not only capable He’s compassionate as well.  It be one thing if He could fix what’s messy in me but then He really didn’t care.  That’s not God.  He’s the compassionate, capable One.

So, my encouragement for you today is to join David in welcoming God to search and test and see and lead you.