Psalm 49:13 This is the fate of those who trust in themselves.
In a pre-caffeine haze, I held my iPhone. A smile arced under hair as messy as the Chicago interstate system. My friend offered to make dinner for our Friday night small group. I quickly typed, "____ volunteered but we'll be passing around a new sign-up so the next Ruesday is available."
This tells me:
1) I am clearly watching too much Scooby Doo, Ron't Rou Rink Raggy?
2) I'm a mess. My small group doesn't even meet on Ruesday. It's meets on Friday.
I am a mess. I reach my limit and yell at my kids over minor infractions. I give my husband the cold shoulder instead of just expressing my frustration. I dodge a friend who wounded me instead of dealing with an awkward exchange.
I am a mess who desperately needs Jesus. My need is real. It presses against my heart and draws me closer to my Jesus. It floods my thoughts and delivers grace. It humbles my mind and fixes my thoughts on God.
It is a well-known fact men are not attracted to desperate, needy women...but my Jesus is. He runs right into the middle of my mess. He calls my name, smooths my nest of hair and exchanges my mess for His majesty.
Jesus, I'm falling hard on Your lap this morning. My need is great. Your grace is greater. My messy life shouts my need and I'm thankful for my mess. I desperately seek You because I'm a mess.
LOVE IT!!!!! Just what I needed to hear this morning!
ReplyDeleteBTW, I am a mess, too. :-)
I love this! About Scooby Doo, my 8 year old walks around saying "Zoinks! Do I sound like Shaggy?" "Yes, baby, you do." And you too, Shannon. Hang in there!
ReplyDeleteahhhh. scoob. miss him. my boys are a little old. and i am a mess most days. thanks for the reminder about where to take it. because so many times my husband gets the brunt.
ReplyDeleteI'm a mess too, Shannon. Thanks for this post! I needed to read that Jesus is drawn to my desperate, needy self today! :) Sally Allen
ReplyDeleteSabrina, Thanks for stopping by today. We can be a great big mess together! Messy is better when shared!
ReplyDeleteDebbie, I ran over to your blog this morning and so thankful I did. There I read your sage wisdom to prepare in advance for life's messes. Thanks for the great advice, sistah!
ReplyDeleteShannon, I can really relate. Throw in a head cold and this week I'm not just a mess, I'm a natural disaster. Hang in there!
ReplyDeleteVisiting and following from the GFC blog hop (I was surprised to find I wasn't already following you)!
Hi Shannon - I love the bit where you say you exchange your mess for His majesty. so awesome. Sometimes I also feel so - in need - and He is the only One who can fill that need! Great post
ReplyDeleteGod bless
Tracy
Kendal, always love your visits! My pour husband too gets what he doesn't deserve. Thank you, God for transforming me!
ReplyDeleteOh Sally, you came into my life and taught me so much about Jesus. How comforting we can still walk toward Jesus together!
ReplyDelete"I'm not just a mess, I'm a natural disaster." Oh my is that funny - truly lol! Thanks for the visit, Cookie's Mom!
ReplyDeleteTracy, from the depths of my need comes the spring of His grace. Sharing the spring with you... :)
ReplyDeleteShannon...this is a favorite!
ReplyDeleteReally enjoyed your candor in this post! It's nice for us to see that we all get a little testy at times! Thanks God for His gentle transforming spirit...I'm a really slow learner! Following you via voiceBoks GFC Hop
ReplyDeleteThanks, Suzette. If I could just mess my way up to your level, I'd become a pretty darn good wife and mom. :)
ReplyDeleteRebecka, "a slow learner" - that is so true of me. Sometimes I think I'll never learn but little by little God is changing me! :)
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post, thanks so much for sharing. I'm always a mess and always in need of Jesus. He's always there.
ReplyDeleteLol, I loved that! That's me most days. Frazzeled. I love just thinking that Jesus is there to smooth our frazzled hair is awesome (If you knew how many times I have hit my space button here trying to type this..... you'd laugh lol)
ReplyDeleteTerri, love being messy with my sistahs! So thankful we walk this road together!
ReplyDeleteKelly, okay totally laughing about your keyboarding disfunction. That is sooo me!
ReplyDeleteSometimes it's just okay to be a mess!
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to thank you as Co-Host of the Mompreneur Blog hop for linking up with us! Feel free to check back in through the month to meet more Mompreneurs:)
Courtney
http://www.mommyladyclub.com
I'm a mess too.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I'm not the only one. This made me giggle out loud... Your "realness" is so refreshing. love you, girl!
ReplyDeleteCourtney, I couldn't agree more. Love being messy with Jesus!
ReplyDeleteAlice, thanks for stopping by for some OJ. It doesn't even matter if you spill on the floor...it's messy around here!
ReplyDeleteCarey, love it when you laugh. Laughing at our mess makes it so much more fun!
ReplyDeleteI just love how real and honest you are. It's comforting to know I'm not in my own mess alone. And I can so relate to your mess as well. Especially the yelling at my kids and giving my husband the cold shoulder part. They unfortunately get to feel the wrath of my mess more than I'm sure they'd like. I desperately need Jesus to help me clear the chaos I've created.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Rosann
http://www.christiansupermom.com/
Oh, I have so had those days. My favorite line in this whole post is this: It is a well-known fact men are not attracted to desperate, needy women...but my Jesus is.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great opening line for a book! I'm praying that you would be overflowing with His love and grace today.
Rosann, love this "I desperately need Jesus to help me clear the chaos I've created." Oh how true is that for me. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteJen, love when you stop by. My heart is encouraged. Thank you for your prayers - that makes the difference!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for dropping by the Monday Mingle Blog Hop! I'm a follower and I hope you'll stop by
ReplyDeleteagain soon! Have a great day! :)
P.S. I would love to connect on Facebook too, if we haven't already. http://facebook.com/toughcookiemommy
Tough Cookie, I'm already a FB fan! Thanks for your visit! Stop by anytime - you bring the cookies. I'll bring the OJ and we can share the Jesus!
ReplyDeleteI was going to highlight the line I liked best... and then couldn't choose. Since I don't want to copy your entire blog post into my comment, I'll just say- thanks for this. Really. I am thinking about putting "I am a mess who desperately needs Jesus" as my Facebook status. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by!
This Mom's Heart, love that status. It is mine and I'm so thankful. My messiness just highlights His majesty all the more!
ReplyDeleteFor some reason this is the post that caught my eye. I love the scooby reference. I love that you admit to being a mess. I love that you admit to being human. Us moms sure do try to do it all. Then feel bad when we can't. And we shouldn't. It's okay to be a mess.
ReplyDeleteKim, so true. My kids need me to be messy because they need me to be real.
ReplyDeleteSO Glad you linked this post today- I needed to hear this too! Isn't it amazing that He comes to us right in the mess and loves us anyways! Leaning heavy on Him today too :)
ReplyDeleteHis love makes no sense... and I am so glad for that :)
http://www.weakandloved.com/2011/06/weak-and-loved-makes-no-sense.html
I'm sure we will be seeing more of each other!
Emily
Emily, you are so right. His love is beyond reason. Beyond sense. His love is so expansive we could never imagine or capture even a tiny portion of it. Praying He pours the vastness of His love out through our messy hearts today.
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