The Messy Van

The Messy Van

Over the summer, my wife’s car was used at a Christian youth camp for three weeks.  That left us sharing my minivan for the duration.  No big deal, right?  Except... Erica is a dog trainer, so my tidy vehicle quickly became a mobile PetSmart.  Dog cages, toys, treats, leashes, food, training collars, additional bins of supplies.  Other random items would come and go… bags, shoes, sunglasses, coffee mugs, folding chairs, wrapping paper… and let’s not talk about the amount of dog hair on the carpet!

Our little clown car quickly became a source of humor for us during those weeks.  We can all relate to a messy vehicle in some sense.  But what about a messy spiritual life? 

These days it’s actually become trendy to refer to the modern Christian life as “messy.”  There’s a certain humility in this mindset, and it’s true to the extent that we all constantly struggle with failure.  But too often this lingo can also be used as an excuse for a pattern of apathy.  We settle into a lifestyle where sin is overlooked with a convenient justification that we’re all just “messy Christians” living under the umbrella of God’s grace.  

Yes, Jesus loved messy people.  He went out of his way to show them special love and grace.  But Jesus didn’t die to provide us with a messy Christian life.  We aren’t meant to stumble through a perpetually untidy reality.  His desire is for us to grow and pursue a more holy existence.  Knowing Jesus should prompt a joyful conversion and a noticeable transformation.

We’ll always be messy, flawed people in an imperfect world.  But while we’re far from perfect, those spiritual failures shouldn’t define us.

 2 Corinthians 5:17 - This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

- Ron Reid