I’m thinking about messes today. In fact, I have been a mess, lived in a mess, and more times than not, created a mess.

Mess, as defined by dictionary.com:

• a dirty, untidy, or disordered condition
• a state of embarrassing confusion
• an unpleasant or difficult situation
• a jumble

We can be a mess or experience a mess. Either way, a mess leaves us feeling ineffective, at times purposeless, and useless. At times, we can wonder what is it that is wrong with us, or question what is missing in our lives.

But sometimes, it is right into the middle of our messes where God does His best work. He can step in and turn those very messes into miracles which will astound for the rest of your days.

Miracle, as defined by that same dictionary:

• a wonder; a marvel
• an effect or event manifesting or considered as a work of God

Each and every one of us, known and loved by God, are miracles. Our lives are transformed from the messes they once were into the miracles He makes.

Every broken piece is a part of the artwork He is creating. Every fragmented area, He is looking to make whole.

In her book, More: From Messes to Miracles, Tammie Head writes:

Jesus’ love was made manifest when He took the time to heal the hurting, notice the rejects, the sinners, the lepers, and even, the harlots.

What sets Jesus apart is His ability to see through the eyes of redemption. He’s not so much looking at the mess. He’s looking at the masterpiece. He’s not so much concerned with who we’ve been, but who we’d become if we wholeheartedly put our faith in Him.

Our past is never, ever, ever wasted. It is a tool of purpose in the hand of a very strategic God if we’ll humble ourselves to become fully healed vessels.
(taken from page 97)

This is a wonderful book bringing such hope and encouragement to every reader who is tired of just surviving the day. This is a book which will challenge the thoughts of stale and tired religion. Each chapter builds on the one before and by the time you close the pages of this book, you will long for a heart set ablaze once again.

God sees the entire picture of our lives, from birth to death. And He knows what His power can achieve in a life wholly surrendered to Him. He never gives up on any of us but finishes each masterpiece He begins.

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
(Philippians 1:6, NLT)

*Thank you, Deb Wolf, for the use of your graphic. It is much appreciated!

Today I am joining … Thought Provoking Thursday and Literacy Musing Mondays and The Book Nook and Looking Up .