Keepin' It Real

Choo . . . Choo . . . Stand back, ladies and gents. Hot Mess Express coming through. Just keepin’ it real.

I have 6 words that feel so good when I say them out loud. I. DON’T. HAVE. IT. ALL. TOGETHER. Say it with me, people. It’s freeing, liberating, cathartic! And the good news? We don’t have to have it all together, we probably never will in this lifetime. In fact, it’s not even in our job description. Our role in this world is to seek the divine will of God and follow His lead. Period. HE works out the details, not us.

We get to be the “hot messes” as a result of these pockets of our lives that appear to be in a bit of disarray and we don’t have to feel guilty about it. In fact, a small shift in our perspective would cause us to CELEBRATE it! Our pity parties can turn into ACTUAL parties because we are finally given the breathing room to not have to have it all figured out. We are released from the chains of perfection and control. We can BE STILL and KNOW that HE is God, not us.

Now, if you’re type A like me this is going to take some getting used to. It will be a process to let go of the reigns and truly believe we don’t determine our own destiny. This has literally taken me my whole life to get it through my thick head and I still struggle. I pushed God away so many times, foolishly telling Him “I’ve got this man, I know what I need and what I need to do”. And you know how that worked out? He brought me to my knees. Not to prove some hateful point about Who’s really in control, but to raise me back up and show me how it feels to finally accept that I’m privileged enough to stand under the protective umbrella of His grace.

He loves us, friends. More than anyone else ever will. He’s got the gentle nature of a loving Father who will nudge His children and even put them in a 2-year timeout (I know this from experience!) to draw our eyes up to meet His in order to express the most amazing thing we can know on this side of Heaven - that He’s got it. He’s got us. We’re still responsible to move forward on the road He’s paved for us, but He’s holding the lantern that illuminates our path and is right there with us when it gets rough and bumpy.

If we trip and fall, that’s ok. He’s equipped with all the Band-Aids and Kleenex we need to make it to the end of our journey. His strong arms will lift us up and carry us until we are healed and ready to walk on our own beside Him again. What a precious gift. No one will ever unconditionally accept us in our messiness like our God. He’s the strength in our souls and the song on our lips. He’s our strong fortress in the midst of danger and our refreshing breeze in the midst of joy.

So exhale and let your shoulders relax - they weren’t meant to carry the burdens of this life. Be a hot mess and turn to the Lord for affirmation and direction. You are enough just the way you are and you can rest in this blessed assurance ALWAYS!