It's Okay to Mess Up

I will never forget the revelation I had when Christian and I moved into our first house. It all looked so perfect that, honestly, it felt too good to be true. And in some weird way, I felt unworthy to live in it. Then I realized something very powerful—this house was now our home, the one place in the world where I get to be fully me and where all of my mess is truly welcome. It was mine not just to come into but to live in. It was a beautiful picture of the truth that we belong to the house and the family of God, which sometimes seems too good to be true. We think we need to muster up perfection to really belong until we realize that we have always been invited, just as we are.

As we were moving in, Papa gave us a cheesy-looking hammer that had words written on it about building a home together. He wanted us to hang it on the wall, but my grandma quickly jumped in and said it wasn’t the kind of house where you hang just anything on the wall. I realized she was right: this was a home. Whatever we hung on our walls needed to have some meaning.

While we ended up not hanging up the hammer, I did buy an inexpensive canvas and some paint to create something that would symbolize the tone we wanted to set for our home. I decided to paint out the lyrics to the song “Firm Foundation (He Won’t)” by Cody Carnes in my messy handwriting because the words describe the kind of foundation I hope our family is building our lives on. Christian and I hung the canvas by our front door so that the minute people walk in, they’ll know they’re welcome, just as they are.

Sister, use whatever God has given you for His purposes. Don’t be afraid to enjoy the gift, work the gift, and share the gift. Besides, your idea of “messing it up” is not God’s. He uses everything—every single thing—for our good and His glory.

Find Your Way

Are you constantly anxious that somehow you’ll mess things up? Worry like this often comes from a misplaced fear of disappointing someone or simply embarrassing yourself. Ask God to open your eyes to the real reason for your concern, and then move forward accordingly.

Prayer

Lord, I know You not only have the whole world in Your hands, You also have my life. And for some reason, You trust me, so help me learn to trust myself and not be afraid. Help me learn that I can’t mess up Your plan if I’m following You. Help me to use the talents and opportunities You’ve given me to Your glory. Amen.