A Beautiful Mess

I heard a quote once that said, "When you write, write about what is on your
heart."
The hurting.
The lost.
The broken.
Those are the ones on my heart.

How many of us are walking around, going through the motions, living life
with smiles on our faces and Instagram posts of our perfect lives, but in
reality, underneath that fake facade, we hide the truth of a hurting soul?

It's easier to make the outside look pretty when the inside is not.
I'm a perfectionist in many ways. When I go to bed at night, I want everything
to be clean, tidy, and in its place; all the dishes are done, the counters clean,
and every pillow on the couch is in its perfect spot. In the morning, I always
make my bed; throughout the day, it's a dance of picking up, cleaning up,
and keeping everything tidy.

When things are out of place, I feel out of place.

On the outside, it may look like I'm a clean freak; some may envy how I
always keep everything clean. I've even been told that my home "looks like a
model home." I LOVED that compliment (Oh, that spirit of pride, Ugh!)

But it's only a mask hiding a messy-hearted girl inside.

The truth is, I struggle. Alot. With shame, insecurity, comparison, and the
feeling of not being good enough.

As a child, I picked up these traits and have perfected them over time.
With the world at our fingertips and the ever-present need to prove that we
have it all together, it's easy to fall into the trap of masking the truth.

Satan is the first on the scene to remind us of all we aren't. He loves to keep
us in bondage to the idea of what we "should" be.

He throws the darts of our imperfections and instills the thoughts of "you
aren't good enough," "look at how much better she is than you," and "if only
you were more like _____, then you would/could be ______ (fill in the
blank)."

Oh, friend, these are lies straight from the pit of hell, and I, too, have to
remind myself of that often.

The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 5:8, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your
adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may
devour."

The Greek word for "devour" here is katapino' which means: to drink down,
swallow, destroy, and consume.

Whoa, right!? His only desire is to destroy our self-esteem and self-worth and
make us believe the lie that we aren't good enough.

He is so great at it because he has been studying us since birth and knows
precisely where to strike each of us, at our weak spots, our most vulnerable
places that we keep hidden.

But no matter the devil's schemes, we can have complete victory through
Jesus! "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
James 4:7

So, what does it look like to "submit to God" and "resist the devil?"

Well, I believe it looks like this...

• We purposefully pursue a Christ-centered life, making Him our highest
  priority.
• We read our Bible daily, receiving His word as the absolute truth and
  storing it in our hearts.
• We fight our battles with the Holy Spirit at the helm; only through His
  strength and power can we overcome the devil's attacks.
• We learn how satan operates, and we guard against it. Remember, he
  "prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking..." He preys on our weaknesses.
• We seek to live a righteous (doing the right thing) life. When we walk in
  obedience to God's will and not our own, we will be stronger in Him and
  more able to resist the devil.
• We flee from temptation at its onset. Temptation starts in the mind and in
  our thought life. When we open ourselves up to a negative thought, feeling,
  or temptation, we are in immediate danger of allowing that to manifest
  itself in our lives and fall into sin and the devil's snare.
• We pray consistently and humbly; prayer shelters our souls and is our
  lifeline. God is eager to hear from us and wants our heartfelt and honest
  prayers.

What is your (fill in the blank)? Is it shame, insecurity, or not feeling good
enough? Maybe this season in your life looks more like fear, doubt,
loneliness, emptiness, or despair, or perhaps you think it's all too much and
feel hopeless. Satan wants to keep you there. Friend, don't let him.

God's word tells us that "...He who is in you is greater than he who is in the
world." 1 John 4:4

Satan loves to take our pile of (fill in the blanks) and make a mess of us.

It takes courage to look at our mess and call it what it is; a mess.
But it takes even more courage to look at our mess and see what it could
become; freedom, hope, joy, and redemption. All beautiful things!

That mess becomes something beautiful when placed in the redeeming hands
of Jesus. He is the truth, our safe place, and our source of strength.

Lay your mess down, friend, whatever it is, and cry out to Jesus. Even if it's
only a whisper, He is there with you. Ready and faithful to bring you through
it.

"But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil
one." 2 Thessalonians 3:3