He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house is a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”
Luke 19:45-46
Don’t you hate that overwhelmed—where do I begin—feeling when things get out of hand?
That’s exactly how I felt as I looked into my grandchildren’s playroom. There were so many pieces and parts of toys, games, puzzles, stuffed animals and books piled on the floor you couldn’t see the carpet. I had no idea what went where or how to begin, and had to call for backup.
My son-in-law bravely waded in and created a path for the tidying up to begin. With the children’s help, and my daughter’s expert direction from a chair in the doorway, the room was soon restored and made vacuum ready.
What’s interesting is that the overwhelming mess didn’t happen all it once. It happened little-by-little. After my daughter’s emergency surgery, visitors bringing her flowers, meals, and get well wishes, also brought along their children. The unaccompanied play eventually left every basket empty, every shelf bare and every bunny, dinosaur and doll misplaced or naked.
How easily little messes can become big ones—in playrooms and in life. Little messes of old behaviors that creep back into daily living. Little wrongs not made right. Hurts stuffed instead of forgiven, and a hundred other little things that pile up and distance us from God.
And how wonderful to know, no matter how big the mess I’ve made of things, through the grace of God to strengthen me, His Word to instruct me, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I can begin to tidy up my soul and renew a right spirit within me.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, believing you’ve made such a mess of things there’s nothing to do but live with it, pray, and talk to God. He knows every detail of every situation, what to do, where and how to begin, and will help you in ways you never expected.
