People are Messy

As I sit here trying to think about how to best describe the past few days in the right words it's challenging.

All I can come up with are these three simple words:

People are messy

We are a crazy emotional lot, sometimes easily offended, easily angered, and not as forgiving as we should be. We hurt easily, break easily and probably more often than we'd like to admit, we lose our way just as easily.

Just this past week I've encountered the postpartum mother, who is doing her best to keep up with all the little ones while crazy hormones do their thing in her body.

I've come across the friend who for whatever reason is more easily offended at this point in time and just needs to be loved, reassured, and maybe even given a bit of "tough love" to help them through to the other side of this.

I've been run over and completely thrown for a loop by a friend, who though they meant well, said some very hurtful things. And while God has graciously given me enough insight to know that what they said was fueled mostly by fear and selfishness, it still stings like slap to the face or a sucker punch to the gut.

And that's just to list a few of us messys that are out there. I could go on.

It makes me ask God, why do you continue to love us so much when we clearly don't deserve it? Why are You so patient with us??

And you know what he said to me?

One word:

Potential

He sees us not just where we are, or how we are. He sees our potential. He sees the awesome plans he has for our lives, plans to prosper us and not to harm us. Plans for a hope and a future (Jer. 29:11).

And while we're still mucking through our everyday muck He's right there loving us ever so patiently. Waiting for us to turn to him as our source of every need, physical, emotional, spiritual, or what have you.

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for loving us so much! Thank you for all the potential you see in me, and for not giving up on me. Thank you for promising that, You who began a good work in me, will be faithful to complete it. And help to know that even when it doesn't look like it from where I'm at, you're still working in me and in those around me! Help me to see the potential you see in others, so that I can love them like you do.

You are an awesome God.

Amen