Monday, November 5, 2012

Day 305, November 5

"The messes in life are my best teachers; I don't like them, but I need them."  Cecil Murphy

Who wants messes in their lives?  Certainly not me.  I've cleaned up my fair share of messes over the years.  There was the honey that our then three year old son Hyrum spilled all over the kitchen floor.  There was the vacuum cleaner bag that burst when another son was vacuuming his room.  There were the flooded basements, bathrooms, and basements again.   Yes, our family has had our share of messes.

But I don't think the author of the above quote was talking about that kind of mess.  I believe he referred to the messes that come when our lives grow out of control, through our own foolish choices or those of others.  Those kind of messes can't be taken care of with a mop and bucket.  They can't be sponged away, swept away, or wiped away.  They require the hard work of repentance, forgiveness, and trying again.

This I know for sure:  messes aren't pleasant, but sometimes they are necessary.

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