3 Scriptures On Why It’s Okay To Be Messy

God wants us to have friendships in which we can be completely and totally ourselves, but this can only happen if we let go of control, stop holding back, and allow ourselves to get messy.

In this video are three scriptures to help you embrace the mess and allow it to get closer in your relationships with God and others.

Get messy with God

11-12 Now GOD, don’t hold out on me, don’t hold back your passion. Your love and truth are all that keeps me together. When troubles ganged up on me, a mob of sins past counting, I was so swamped by guilt I couldn’t see my way clear. More guilt in my heart than hair on my head, so heavy the guilt that my heart gave out…[17] And me? I’m a mess. I’m nothing and have nothing: make something of me. You can do it; you’ve got what it takes- but God, don’t put it off.

Psalm 40:11-12, 17 MSG

God loves us at our messiest, even when we hold back and don’t want to be seen as weak. The guilt that we feel from our sin is not who we are. 

I end up believing more in my emotions than in God. But when I decide to let down with God during difficult times, that’s when God has the opportunity to comfort!

What guilt do you feel swamped by? What insecurities or weaknesses make you feel like “a mess”?

Admitting and understanding these insecurities and weaknesses with God helps us tp see that God loves us for who we are, and won’t reject, humiliate, or misunderstand us.

Be a mess together

So I speak to you as our children. Make room in your hearts for us as we have done for you.

2 Corinthians 6:13 TPT

What’s taking up room in your heart? It can be easy to quickly fill our hearts up with ourselves: becoming consumed with what we want, what we feel, or what we need. But all that space in our hearts isn’t meant to be just for ourselves. What would it look like if you made room in your heart for someone else in your life?

For me, it’s sharing more vulnerably about topics like my sadness about family, fears about my future, and insecurities about my inadequacies. When I don’t talk about these things and close myself off from people, I can’t make room in my heart for them. My problems become bigger than they actually are in my head because that’s the only thing in my heart. So I end up feeling lonely and think my messiness will drive people away, when really it’s when I don’t share those fears, insecurities, and other emotions that actually create that distance.

Showing our friends the messy parts of ourselves doesn’t mean becoming consumed with ourselves and only talking about us all the time, but rather caring and trusting our friends enough to show them who we really are.

Use the mess

Then [Jesus] spoke to Simon about the woman still weeping at his feet. “Don’t you see this woman kneeling here? She is doing for me what you didn’t bother to do. When I entered your home as your guest, you didn’t think about offering me water to wash the dust off my feet. Yet she came into your home and washed my feet with her many tears and then dried my feet with her hair.
[45] You didn’t even welcome me into your home with the customary kiss of greeting, but from the moment I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. [46] You didn’t take the time to anoint my head with fragrant oil, but she anointed my head and feet with the finest perfume.

Luke 7:44-47 TPT

[47] She has been forgiven of all her many sins. This is why she has shown me such extravagant love. But those who assume they have very little to be forgiven will love me very little.”