Life is Messy

First of all, my life is not messy at the moment. It's just fine. Just don't look in my closet.

Life is sometimes messy. It doesn't fit into a neat box. The plans I make sometimes don't come to be, even with my best planning. Things happen unexpectedly that catch me by surprise, change my path for a day or a year, or expose me to something that challenges my thinking.

Life is shared. This thing called community assures me that I am not alone in this world. Almost without exception I would say that my life has been enriched by the people who've touched it. But receiving this gift from the community means that sometimes it's my turn to give back. To be the one assuring a friend that they are not alone. To pray for a friend in a situation that I don't understand. To be sad along with them when their life is messy.

Sometimes, I look around at the lives of people I know, and I am overwhelmed by the mess. I am saddened by the effects of sin, of humanity, and sometimes, just by circumstance. Why did this person get cancer? Why did that marriage fall apart? Why is another one struggling? Why is that baby in the hospital? Why do people hurt other people? Why do I crumble at the slightest discomfort when there are real problems in the world?

There are no easy answers. It takes more self-control than I have to not say the things that make it sound like there are. But while my mind is busy trying to come up with something to say that is remotely meaningful, know that my heart is aching for you. I am praying for you. You are not alone.