Joy in the Mess

November 19, 2024 by Amy Byrd

Messes don’t usually make me feel thankful.

I remember a day when my kids were a lot younger and I counted more than 14 pairs of shoes spread around the room I was standing in. They were all happy and having a good time while I stood and looked and felt irritated.

But as I mentally charted my kids for not being grateful enough to put their shoes away, I felt God gently nudging me. Was I modeling thankfulness?

Because the truth is, those shoes are evidence of life. A life full of people I love. I realized I could look at their shoes and feel drained and frustrated or filled up and thankful.

Every day we have a choice. We can look at the messes in our lives… Relationships, piles of shoes, dirty dishes, home projects that never seem to get completed—-And frown. Or we can see all of these things as rich, evidence of life and smile. ~Amy