‎”The gospel frees us from the relentless pressure of having to prove ourselves, for we are already proven and secure.” Tim Keller

Life as a perfectionist isn’t easy. Even if I plan each day to the very minute, a hundred messes will break out.

The girls will roll around the floor screaming and fighting over baby dino.

Sedryn will puke because I gave him milk that was spoiled without realizing it (when he’s mostly the only one who drinks milk in the house it’s easy to overlook that sort of thing….).

Mount laundry will continue to be clean… and unfolded.

It will rain when it was supposed to be sunny.

I will burn dinner.

My photography clients will cancel (or I may not have a single one this year).

My dreams will be side railed.

I have two choices in these moments.

1. Pull myself up, put on a big smile, do the extra work, and show you how worthy I am.

2. Fall on my knees, announce my failure or my mess before my family(that includes you) and God, ask Him for help (or ask the local body of Christ when needed), and then crawl back up clinging to His grace because He is more worthy than anything else.

I will choose the latter.  I will choose to reveal my messes if it proves Him greater.  And just saying that makes me sort of cringe.  You know how when you type something out like that, the Enemy chooses to create more mess in your life.  Yeah, I know that’s coming.  And I know this too: His grace is sufficient.

I’m writing this today for that friend who sent me texts while likely sitting in her car on lunch break because she was crying so hard she couldn’t call.  That friend whom I wish wasn’t so far geographically or I’d be in the car with a  hyper overtired children on my way to clean her home(which clearly isn’t in my gifted-ness), make her supper, and finally hug her tight when she got home.

We’re never going to be perfect.  We’re never going to be proven.  We’re never going to have anything to glory in except this one thing:  Jesus Christ.  And He is enough and perfect and impossible to lose.

So, friend (friends- all of you sweet messy people really), don’t be afraid to be seen in the thick of your un-glorious mess.  The mess you created or the one surrounding you.  I’m not impressed when you’re busy proving yourself.  I might be jealous (but that’s my own sin issue, eh?), but I’m not impressed.  But when you share with me and others the mess you’re living, then I am impressed.  I’m impressed with your strength and the grace He has given you to keep going.  I’m impressed with the desire to come alongside you and partner with you however I can, knowing that soon you will walk through my mess with me.

That’s the purpose of the Body of Christ: to disciple each other in the gospel of grace.  That means there will be seasons where I will preach the gospel to you, and there will be seasons where I will beg you to preach the gospel to me.  And we will both feed from that gospel like starving women; for it is only in that gospel that we will ever be “proven and secure.”