i find that in my line of work you see the messiness of life coming at you in every direction. and yet at the same time you can enter a church and in general everyone seems to have everything all together and figured out. this always makes me wonder "what's the deal with all of this?" when it comes to being authentic the reality is we(people made in the image of God)are messy. we are people who are committed one day|moment and lazy the next. we serve and we are selfish, we love and we hate, we worship God and we worship ________. we are messy, inconsistent, erratic, lopsided, imperfect, and unfinished.
over the next who knows how long i hope to blog some more of my thoughts on this as i go through this book "Messy Spirituality - God's annoying love for imperfect people" by Michael Yaconelli. It is a book I have read a number of times and have always found it challenging, encouraging, and thought provoking.
here are a couple quotes to leave you thinking...
"spirituality is not a formula; it is not a test. It is a relationship. Spirituality is not about competency; it is about intimacy. Spirituality is not about perfection; it is about connection."
"The way of the spiritual life begins where we are now in the mess of our lives. Accepting the reality of our broken, flawed lives is the beginning of spirituality not because the spiritual life will remove our flaws but because we let go of seeking perfection and, instead, seek God, the one who is present in the tangledness of our lives."
"spirituality is not about being fixed; it is about God being present in the mess of our unfixedness."
stay tuned for more...
grace and peace,
r
