Have ya ever made a mess? What do ya do when you have made a mess of things? We all make messes from the time we are born. We just are not perfect. Our children spill milk,dump out cheerios,and splatter ketchup across the kitchen. Our dogs turn over the trash cans, have an accident in the floor,even tear up paper across the house. Our husbands may leave their work clothes out,the beds not made,the bathroom looks as if twenty people have been living in there for weeks.Our cars get french fries in the seats and the floor,a collection of soda bottles,even diapers. We make messes everyday,some are small to where others are large.If we spill soda on the clean carpet,do we just leave it there? No,we clean it up right away.If the dog has an accident in the floor,we sure dont just leave it there,we get right to scrubbing it. If we get paint on our clothes,we soak them,scrub them,and do all we can to get it out.When I make a mess,I start cleaning it right then.So what about the messes we make in our lives? Do we just leave them to make the stain worse,the smell intoxicating,or do we get to work with love and patience at trying our best to get the stain out? Sometimes one spill and everything overflows onto the floor,the carpet,and its not an easy job to clean up,it takes time.It takes love. It takes a patience like never before. Sometimes we cannot get all the stain out. Sometimes we get out all we can,and we have to adjust to what is left there. We still see it,we still know its there,but it soon becomes a spot that isn't so noticable if we focus on other things.My son spilled paint in his bedroom floor,some of the stain is still there,but over time when I walk in his room,its not the first thing I look at anymore,I let my eyes gaze to all the other wonderful things he has in his room. I think God knew we were going to make messes of things at times in our lives.With those messes comes forgiveness,love,and second chances. When our children spill milk,we don't tell them they can never have another glass. We just give them a different glass,teach them how to hold it better,and they try again and again.Sometimes even with all the knowledge and practice we have at life we still make messes.So we get down on our knees and see where the spots are and begin to clean.There are always going to be messes,we just cannot get around that in our lives. So before the mess gets bigger and bigger,we start on the small spot,and work our way through that tough stain. Just as God uses broken pots,with cracks and all,He still shines through.He too can shine through our messes when we allow Him to start the cleaning first.
