A beautiful mess. That’s how I’d describe this image of my driveway after the storm. A little over a week ago, we had a fierce storm come through our area: dark clouds, loud rumbling thunder, heavy rain, and very strong winds. I came home from work to find that one of our tall cypress trees had literally been uprooted and blown over, crushing not only our fence but two of our neighbor’s fences. Our backyard was a sight to behold. Naturally, we were on the phone with our insurance company the next morning and scheduling workers to come out for cleanup and repairs. What I didn’t realize until the following day, however, was that it wasn’t just our yard that was torn up. Most of the entire neighborhood was a mess. That’s how it is sometimes. We become so focused on what is taking place in our own lives that we are not quick to notice or even see what is happening in others. But as I took my early morning walk in the neighborhood that day, I saw it. Trees down, front yards in disarray, work trucks already cutting and grinding. The streets I walk regularly were covered with broken limbs, scattered leaves, snapped twigs, and pieces of small branches. Everywhere. The debris was…everywhere. What I was unaware of the day before, I now saw clearly. And the words to the song coming through my earbuds as I walked:
“You picked up all my pieces, put me back together. You are the defender of my heart. When I thought I lost me, You knew where I left me. You reintroduced me to Your love.“
Isn’t this what happens when we submit our lives to Christ in every storm of our lives, in our brokenness, in our mess? He picks up all our scattered pieces and puts us back together. Again and again. Every fragment. All the debris. Often, He does it in a way that causes us to be able to thank Him for the storm itself; the storm He allowed to come through our lives and hearts.
And there it was as I made a full circle and continued back up my driveway, bright petals from the crepe myrtles that line the way, each arranged artistically across the saturated ground. They welcomed me back. Profound pinks. Ruminating reds. Faithful fuchsias. Yielded yellows. Deep. Rich. Vibrant. Fresh. Cheerful. A beautiful mess.
The mighty Spirit of Lord Yahweh is wrapped around me because Yahweh has anointed me, as a messenger to preach good news to the poor. He sent me to heal the wounds of the brokenhearted, to tell captives, “You are free,” and to tell prisoners, “Be free from your darkness.” I am sent to announce a new season of Yahweh’s grace and a time of God’s recompense on his enemies, to comfort all who are in sorrow, to strengthen those crushed by despair who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful bouquet in the place of ashes, the oil of bliss instead of tears, and the mantle of joyous praise instead of the spirit of heaviness. - Isaiah 61:1-3a TPT
Be encouraged today, even if you are presently in the very eye of the storm. Whatever the situation, whatever the mess, God can redeem it.
Jennifer Rash
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The song referenced is entitled "Defender" written by Steffany Gretzinger, Rita Springer, and John-Paul Gentile.
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