A messed up bedroom

So I've been in the process of cleaning my room for about 3 weeks.

Yes, it's a slow and arduous process for me.

This all occurred because, well, I needed to clean it yes, but also because of my "fake" move to a different apartment. This realization occurred after I had move about 95% of my stuff there.

The task before me was to once again move into the place I had never officially left. And now move all my stuff back again. This did present the opportunity to sort out and eliminate clutter. Oh man, even though I live out of one room, a single guy can get a lot of crap in that small place in a short amount of time.

Do I really need like 40+ t-shirts?

no.

When this process started it poured out into other rooms of the house, I'm sure my roommates repulsed by the amount of my stuff everywhere... I know I was. Just so much stuff and such little room. There was (is) a sense of some urgency with my roommates wedding coming up, with people that would be coming by the house as the time rapidly approaches.

I stood before these piles of stuff and just think to myself, "Self, if we would of just organized better," or "There is no reason you should have bought ______ that one time," or "Do you really need to own X amount of this same item?" Standing, thinking, doing nothing, while I should be doing something.

The piles slowly dwindled over time, items being given away to Goodwill, items stored in the attic and so on. The mess was slowly subdued into something more of a minor monster. Though in the public areas the mess seems almost gone, it's is just better organized, better hidden. Walk into my room, still piles of miscellaneous paper work and knickknacks stacked around.

These piles are the vain of my cleaning habits, the stuff I can pile up and I say, "I'll get to it later." So they just sit, until I get to them.

To which I don't.

This all reminds me of my life, our lives.

Man, I know I've created some messes in my life, sure I could probably point some fingers at some people, but honestly, it comes back to me making the mess. Be it a big mess that spills out into other peoples lives, or little piles of crap, "hidden" away that sit around forever like a festering wound, that eventually burst at the seam...that's a graphic thought.

We have these huge messes of lives that we are stuck in...be it relationships, careers, poor life choices, money, you name it. Big, small, doesn't matter, they still suck. Some of these messes feel like they never go away, while others are just short lived smacks to the face.

We stand and stare into a mirror sometimes, thinking there is no way this mess is going to get cleaned up and we settle for doing nothing, wallowing in our mess, rather then doing something about it. It's overwhelming.

That there is no hope, so why bother? That even though you hate what's going on, what's happening in this mess in your life, it's just easier then doing something about it.

Or you have tiny piles of garbage in your life tucked away, out of sight, out of mind. Don't worry about the small things, because no one will ever see them, nor do you have to ever worry about them. They are tucked out of sight. There is no way they will ever come back and bite you. Right?

That this is life and this is how it's going to be.

So you deal with it.

You keep on keeping on.

Then you hear that this Jesus guy wants to come visit with you, have a relationship with you. That He stands at the door and knocks.

But your life is a mess, how can you invite Him in, with your life being a mess? Either you can't clean up the mess to invite Him in, or honestly, so many of us (including me) are content with our mess.

So we struggle and race to clean up the mess, thinking we have to have the place spotless. Furiously wiping up messes, cleaning up garbage, stuffing items in drawers, thinking we need to clean this mess up before He comes over.

Or we stand there, at the door, hear the rapping on the door but continue living in our mess that we have created. We don't think it's that bad. We have lived in this life, like this, for long enough, we are good without Him visiting.

We race thinking we need to clean it up, hurry, no time. No time, no time for visitors like Him.

We stand there, and slide a pile of garbage near our feet under the sofa. Close the door of the closet that has stuff spilling out of it. Everything is okay.

The knocking continues, we walk up to the door and lean toward it and listen.

He says, "Child, I will take you how you are right now. Mess and all. I just want to come in, have fellowship and love on you. You do not have to clean up alone but let me help. You can never be too dirty for me. I want to give you life and give it abundantly. I love you so so so much."

He does and He will...This I can guarantee and so does He.

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
Revelation 3:20

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
John 10:10

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
Psalm 34:18