Mess
“The way of the spiritual life begins where we are now in the mess of our lives. Accepting the reality of our broken, flawed lives is the beginning of spirituality not because the spiritual life will remove our flaws but because we let go of seeking perfection and, instead, seek God, the one who is present in the tangledness of our lives. Spirituality is not about being fixed; it is about God’s being present in the mess of our unfixedness.” (Michael Yaconelli)
“...we have great incentive to use our wisdom and our will to the best effect, knowing God holds us to it and knowing we will suffer consequences from foolishness and wickedness. On the other hand, there is an absolute promise that we cannot ultimately mess up our lives. Even our failures and troubles will be used for God’s glory and our benefit.” (Pastor Timothy Keller)
“Sometimes prayer needs to be directed toward some great mess in life, either mine or another’s. But most often it just needs to feed the soul’s fundamental need for the assurance of God’s abiding presence.” (Hieromonk Maximos)
“Faith includes noticing the mess, the emptiness and discomfort, and letting it be there until some light returns.” (Anne Lamott)
“When Adam and Eve acted without the direction of God, when they took their own “conciliar” and independent action, sin and death entered into human nature. Being cut off from the decisions of God made us hopelessly indecisive. Unable to choose God, we fumble around making uncertain choices — and, usually, make a mess of our lives. Only the obedience of the Son and the Spirit of the Father, who had “decided” to save us from ourselves, healed the broken relationship with the Father, giving us another opportunity to live with Him.” (Father Anthony Michaels)