I Don’t Want Other People To See My Mess
I love a clean, orderly, decorated home, but that is not my reality. In truth, my home is lived in, cluttered and a hodge-podge of decorations placed in random places. When I know someone is coming to visit, I’ll quickly straighten the pillows on the couch, grab cups or bowls and put them in the dishwasher, and then pick up all of my husband’s strewn clothing. In other words, I’m a messy creature who doesn’t mind living in a mess, but I don’t want other people to see my mess.
My husband’s truck looks similar to our house. Occasionally, Joe and I will take a drive around the neighborhood, and he likes to drive. It never fails; when I open the door to get inside the truck, he has to clean out the seat before I can get inside. There will be empty bottles and wrappers on the seat or floor, receipts, and random airplane or car parts that he has ordered. To me, it is a complete mess, but to him, it is organized chaos.
I’m betting each of us has an area of organized chaos. It might be a drawer that is full of all the stuff we need, but it is so full that we can’t find anything when we need it. Some of us even have a whole room in our house set aside for our overflow. It becomes a room where things go to never be seen again until we decide to have a yard sale.
Most of our messes are behind closed doors. They aren’t something we take photos of and post on social media. Instead, we want people to view us as having all areas of our lives put together and organized. We hide our messes and only let others into the areas that have been cleaned.
While my examples have been messes that are related to homes and cars, most of us also have messy lives. Our pasts aren’t a mess-free zone, and we don’t like talking about our struggles and mistakes. Sweeping them under the rug is way easier than letting them be visible to others.
Hiding all our messes is a tactic of the enemy. He likes to keep us isolated and feeling guilty about the messes we’ve created. Keeping our messes a secret might feel good at first, but they eventually start to gnaw at you.
John 12:46
46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
Galatians 6:2
2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Jesus is LIGHT! He doesn’t want us to hide our messes from Him. He already knows who we are and what we have done. Bringing our messes to Him shows that we trust Him with our mess. Jesus doesn’t expect us to live a life free of messiness; He knows we are human and are going to create lots of issues. He encourages us to live in the light and to share our mistakes and mishaps with others. It helps to know there are others whose lives aren’t perfect, and that they trust the Lord enough to use their messes for the benefit of others.
Take a look at your life. Look in the drawers, under the beds, behind the closed doors, and bring it all out into the light. Don’t let the enemy keep you in the dark. Bring all your past messes to the Lord. Ask for forgiveness and for direction moving forward. Little by little, we can clean out the crap that boggs us down. And, every ray of LIGHT that comes into our lives pushes the enemy into the darkness where he belongs.
To GOD Goes The Glory!
Have a Blessed Day!
I rarely comment, however I couldn’t let this one go…it resonated so deeply on so many levels. Thank you for your message. The Light of Christ shines brightly in you!
Joyce, I’m thrilled this post prompted you to comment! The Lord works in mysterious ways.
Amen to the messy parts of life. Thank you for your words of wisdom.
I think we are better off if not worrying so much about a perfect home but just enjoy and live in it. True friends and family will not care!! Enjoy and it will all be there tomorrow!!!
Oh my, how I needed to hear this, on every level…spiritual and physical. Every word was a message meant for me. Thank you for allowing His Holy Spirit to speak to me through you. Wow, just wow.
I’m so glad this post made it’s way to you! The Holy Spirit works in mysterious ways.
Amen, well said.
I so was moved by this post. I’m a hot mess who used to be fairly organized. Guilt and shame gnaw at me. My mind is cluttered over my messes and when I try to work on cleaning out & organizing, I end up overwhelmed. Would love for you to dive deeper on this issue.
I really can relate to your post. My life right now is one big old mess. I was sick all of 2023, going through breast cancer treatment. I would get so stressed because my nice little apartment was messy, stuff every ware dust bunny’s rolling down the hallway. I couldn’t do anything about it because I was to sick and weak to clean. I didn’t want to call a cleaning company because I didn’t want them to see my house like this. I had to just let it go. Same thing with my illness, I had to stop trying to be in control and just let go and let God. I’m still recovering from my illness, but I am thankful to God I’m still here. I feel blessed every day and thankful to have a place to live and if it’s a little messy so be it!
I love reading your post and seeing all the fashions. I have lost weight due to my illness, I needed to loose weight but not this way, thus none of my clothes fit anymore. I will need to get a new wardrobe right now I can’t afford it because of all my mounting doctor bills etc.. but I thank God every day for continuous good health.
Thanks Janet
Janet, there are way more important things than a clean house. We need to let go of the need to impress others, and realize that the Lord is the only one whose opinion matters. I’m glad to hear you’re feeling better, I can’t imagine the struggles that you’ve been through.
I too like neat and organized but to a Fault! I had to lighten up some for my grandchildren. ❤️
Today I needed this message…Thank You
Good morning and God morning! Thank you for your transparency to your readers. I love how real you are in all of your postings. I’m grateful to have found you and so love that you love Jesus! Thank you that you are being used by our Heavenly Father to share His love for others and share how He loves us with all of our flaws! Have a blessed day and thank you for your heart for others all in His name.
Thank you for this, I love how you share your life and show how you are a real person.
I’m loving Spring. ❤️🙏🏼
Thank you Tania,
What a blessing you are and a sweet reminder of what is good. What needs to be done.
thank you,
Thank you Tania for this post! God loves us, even though we are messy!! Hope you had a Great Sunday!! 🌷
Jesus is the light! Thank you for your fun and vulnerable posts!
Sharon Killen 😃
Thank you for your wise words, such a blessing!
wonderful and Amen!
I loved what you had to say, absolutely truth in every word. Thank you for your candid view.
So enjoy your posts. Happy Sunday💕
Great post, great subject. So glad Jesus will clean our spiritual mess and we can leave it all behind.
This was a perfect meditation for today!
Love this!
Thank you for the honesty in your message today. It helps those of us who are grieving not to worry about the chaos in our house.
Thank you!! Love your Sunday posts! Always such great encouragement and pointing to Jesus Christ!
What a great message. It’s interesting that the Pastor I listen to on Sundays basically said the same today. He was talking about how Jesus is the light and how when we have light we see things differently than if we lived in darkness. Maybe there is a message to me in there. Because of what I heard and what I read today. Thank you for these Sunday readings.
It is funny how you will hear the things the Lord wants you to hear over and over. It takes us a while to catch on. Lol!
Perfect message! Have a blessed week.
I think we all appreciate and relate to today’s post! Have a blessed day. 💐
Tania, Thank you for this message. Isn’t it great to know that no matter how messy our lives have been or are now, our Heavenly Father still loves us and wants to be in our lives.
I have a VERY LIVED IN house! I clean and tidy constantly and it still looks the same! But when someone is coming over or I’m having a party then it gets a complete overhaul, lol. My hope is someday it will stay clean and neat. Glad to hear I’m not alone in my mess.
Hello Tania
Thank you again for a wonderful Sunday post. It’s good to be reminded. Thanks again. I always look forward to your Sunday posts.
Thank you Tania for the Scripture verses you post with your blog every day. I always make sure to read them ❤️
I always look forward to your daily blog. Thank you
He makes beauty out of our ashes!
That was just perfect! Have a beautiful Sunday🙏❤🙏
Thank you so much, as this is something I needed to hear at this point in my life.
Thank you so much, as this is something I needed to hear at this point in my life.
Well said! Thank you!
I look forward to your Sunday posts. This morning was especially what I needed to hear. Thank you for sharing.
Good message.
thank you for this. just what I needed this morning
Jesus is the Light of our world, and most importantly, our Soul. Happy Sunday and have a Peaceful week of God’s Blessings, Tania!
What a beautiful message, just what I needed. You, too, are a light I look forward to every morning.
Love your inspiration! Re messes: I think that God blesses those who have a lot of interests and are busy – they are the ones who have those “piles!” I’ve found that writing down a little list of “respond to,” “file upstairs/downstairs,” etc., makes me more apt to at least clear out some stuff. Thanks for sharing! Love the visual about the truck…😝
I am the same, when company is coming that’s when I clean and straighten up the house. No excuses, but when you’re working, and exhausted, you don’t have the time or energy to keep it neat.
I like to decorate my home for the different seasons, so it gets straightened up then also.
I’m so glad you showed that picture and for your Sunday message.
God loved me beyond my mess and I praise Him for it!
I normally do not read your Sunday posts but today something told me to read. I’m so glad I did. It hit a tender spot with me. Thank you. ❤️
I’m so glad you decided to give it a chance. I’m glad you enjoyed the post.
this is so uplifting and real. i love how real you are!
Thanks for your message this morning! They are always spot on and make me think about my relationship with the Lord!
So true! Thank you! pray for me and my husband as he has surgery next week. May God truly bless you. Praying for Joe and your brother.
Did that ever hit the nail on the head!!!
Thank you!!!
Thank you, Tania. My circle at church is reading a book called A Perfect Mess by Lisa Harper. She uses the Psalms to show us how to deal with the messes in our lives. I think your words will be a perfect devotional for our next meeting. I look forward to every Sunday for your thoughts.
Thanks for this lesson today
Because I lived a very chaotic childhood, I have made it a point to live a very organized life. Everything in my frig is labeled, even the leftovers! I constantly am reorganizing cupboards and drawers and would NEVER leave the house without the bed being made and the counters clean. I know it sounds a little wacky but I feel more organized in other areas of my life too.
It sounds wonderful. If you get bored, can you make a trip to my house???
Amen. Amen!
Today’s post was very special. When you follow people on Social Media you sometimes think their lives are “perfect inside and out” You are one who let us into your “real life” with Godly solutions. Thank you!
Today’s post is one of the many reasons I follow you. Even tho your daily style photos are perfect, clothes and hallway in your home, you let us in to your real you! I love it!
Reading this was like you were speaking to me personally. I have struggled the last few days with just that! So amen sister! Thank you for sharing. God bless you.
You’re a light also Tania!!
Thank you for this post my husband I had a conversation yesterday about a similar situation 🙏🏻
And what better time than spring to clean out all the spiritual clutter to let the fresh air and light in!! What a wonderful message God had you share today. Have a wonderful week Tania.
Such a great read! 🩷
Beautiful and so true! Amen!
so true! I love a neat home but mine is a mess. I keep thinking that one day I’ll clean it all up and then I never do.
Tania,
This is the first thing I read this am before church. So true! My closet is the biggest mess in my house. I always work on it a little, but never have time to finish. So I never let anyone in there. I’m embarrassed. You are so right. God knows all our messes & loves us still! Thank you for sharing this. Love you gurl xoxo
It is hard to show the messy parts of our lives, but they are part of us, good or bad.
Same here!
💖AMEN 💖 I loved your post today!
I love this message. It’s so important to bring everything to the Lord and also to ask others to pray for us and our “messes”. Thank you for sharing this.
Amen! Good Sunday message.
Thank you for that truthful message Tania.
So true. Amen.
Thank you for that truthful message Tania. Have a blessed day.
Beautiful! Thank you.
You’ve hit the nail on the head. So true!
That was a lovely post today, thank you.
organized chaos, I love it
Messes drive me nuts. Now that we are empty nesters I can keep the house pretty clean. Actually with my (as my son claims) “crazy house cleaning lady OCD” I can pretty well keep it organized. My desk is the “black hole”. But I do try. When the house was full of peopleI was a huge struggle.Both my son and husband loved to put “stuff” on every flat surface. LOL.
I have messes too. This was very well said. Amen
Good morning!
This is a perfect Sunday message to start out a new week. Thanks Tania for being so open and thought-provoking!
Happy Sunday!
Amen and I to have messes.
What beautiful message. Thank you for sharing. To God goes the glory! Amem.
Yes and amen!