A Beautiful mess

Posted on July 11, 2012 | 4 comments

Or
Grace
It was to be a whimsical evening walk.
Kind sky cooling the day’s oppressive heat,
quiet in a patch of gardenny oasis,
delight sprouting at discovering an alyssum-spiced corner of the world.

Whimsical, you see.
…and then there was me:

Shirt  splashed with coffee and  debris from the day’s kitchen fiascos– because I’m graceful that way.
Feet gritty from treading whimsical (yet dusty) trail in what my family has dubbed my “hiking shoes”…something along the lines of these:

(Christened “Hiking Shoes” due to the fact that I’m inevitably wearing some sort of grime-magnet sandals whenever a spontaneous hike finds us pulling over and venturing out)
I was a mess. The evening was beautiful. And my heart soared in its loveliness despite my grime and debris and splashes of coffee.
Beautiful mess.

Isn’t that His way, though? He finds us in the miry places, sets our feet upon a rock, wraps us in His white-as-snow grace, and reminds us we’re His.

We’re a mess,
His grace is not,
And He makes messy things beautiful.
I leave you today with a choose-your-own-soundtrack adventure:
  • For something more orchestral, contemplative, and also gloriously true,  remember – He makes “Beautiful Things Out of the Dust” :

“…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor…” Isaiah 61:3

4 Comments

  1. Lindsay Harrel July 11, 2012 at 1:02 pm

    Your post gave me chills. He does make things beautiful, in His time.

    And I love that Gungor song!!

    • Amanda July 11, 2012 at 6:42 pm

      Lindsay, I’m so glad you added that bit of wisdom “in His time”– so important. “He has made everything beautiful in its time” (Ecc. 3:11), and sometimes I get impatient or discouraged. But His timing is perfect! Thank you.

  2. Melissa Tagg July 11, 2012 at 4:04 pm

    Loved this post, Amanda. Loved it.

    And that Gungor song…I will never get tired of it! 🙂

    • Amanda July 11, 2012 at 6:43 pm

      Thank you, Melissa. It’s always a joy to see your name on my screen- you’re such an encourager!