Day 7: No Matter the Mess

Anyone who knows me knows that my hair is a good portion of my overall body weight (just kidding... kinda). While it may be pretty to some on the outside though, only those who have made the mistake of getting their hands stuck in it know what it is truly like. In its most natural state, it is a mess. It's thick and tangly, making knots out of nothing and gobbling up whatever comes near it like a venus fly trap. All this to say that it is a very big undertaking to commit to actually brushing all this bushy-ness (I rarely do it myself, honestly). But tonight someone near and dear to my heart asked to brush my hair, as they have been saying they want to for a while now, and I hesitated but agreed. "It's such a mess though, there are knots and tangles all in it, I don't know if you really want to deal with it..." But they already knew how chaotic my hair was and still wanted to take on the task. As I sat there with my hair being detangled and made soft again, I notice how patient they had to be yet how gentle they chose to be with me. It brought me back to memories of when I was a little girl with hair down to my feet, or at least from my child-like perspective it was, and I would always run to my dad asking him to brush my hair. He was always so gentle, brushing what felt like strand by strand. I never worried about the tangles and knots back then because I knew no matter what condition my hair was in that my dad would still be patient, gentle, and kind.

Isn't it the same way with our hearts and lives though? While it may be pretty on the outside to social media and those whom only get a glance of our life highlights, we see the actual messes, the unruly areas, the rough spots, and when others get "too close", they see it too. That's when we tend to pull away... "No, you don't understand, I'm too broken, too messed up, I have too many scares, it's going to be more to deal with than you think", etc.

But we have a Father... we have a Heavenly Father who doesn't pull away, Who doesn't falter in pursuing our hearts. No matter the mess, no matter the tangled up areas of our hearts and lives, He is still there... Working through the tough spots and areas we try to hide away from the rest of the world and sometimes even ourselves. He sees it all even before we ever invite Him in to pick up our broken pieces and He still chooses to initiate our healing, asking us to let Him in, to gently unravel our tanglings and persistently pursue us when we try to hide our messes. Does it hurt to work through the dirt and pain and chaos? Yes, sometimes. But we have a constant Lover who doesn't waiver in working in and through us no matter the mess.

So stop hiding, stop running. There is One who already sees the disaster, the heartbreak, pain, dirt, chaos, and He wants to be invited in to your mess... not to judge or to give up on you, but to come in, clean out the mess, and bring restoration, healing, and love like you've never known before. Invite Him today, and every day, and see how He, His love persists... no matter the mess.

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever." Psalm 136:1

"But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth." Psalm 86:15

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CG