It May Have Been Messy but It’s Still Good

I don’t know about you, but some things are good even though they are messy. Perhaps you know what I mean. Have you ever eaten a good Philly Cheesesteak or did your mom ever cook you some good sloppy joe? When I think of things like this, I can’t help but think of the messiness of it all, yet I enjoy devouring it because, in spite of all that ooey, gooiness, those sandwiches are so delicious.

I’ve had my fill of all the Christmas movies you could want to watch this Christmas season. Well, maybe not all of them. There were a few that I wish I could have seen but missed. Nevertheless, in all of them, none came close to capturing the essence of messy but good like The Angel Original “Christmas with The Chosen.” In this Christmas special, the people that brought to life one of the most compelling biblical narratives of the life of Jesus in a series decided to present a telling of the birth of Jesus from the perspective of Mary.

Seeing the story told in this way really gave a real-world and historical feel of what it must have been like for this young girl and her betrothed, Joseph, as they made their way to Bethlehem. In looking at the messiness of their life, I began to see the messiness of life today. I also began hearing other people speaking of their own stories that were not so neat. It’s so easy to look at other people’s lives and think that they have things all together, so very put together and seemingly perfect.

It’s like the Madrigal family in the animated Disney film Encanto. Looking at them, they appear to be the perfect family living a perfect life in a perfect town where everything happened with such perfect precision. However, as you begin to look closer at the family you begin to see the cracks, splinters, and fragmentations that were ripping the perfect image apart; right down to the foundations. It was only once the sisterly relationship between the main character Mirabel and her seemingly “perfect” flower-producing sister Isabel came to an understanding about who they were that things really began to take on a true transformation. Isabel began to see that there was beauty in not having to be perfect. Mirabel found that while she did not have a gift like the rest of her family, her true gift was helping the family see things differently.

This holiday season, many of us are experiencing the messiness of life. Some are missing out on family gatherings because of COVID. Some are missing family members because of death, work-related duties, breakdowns in relationships, or something else. Some are just having a tough time because they are homeless, have lost a job, a business, or some other thing. Whatever the case may be, in spite of that messiness, God is yet performing miracles and making a way out of no way.

In the same way that God made it possible for Mary to deliver Jesus in a stable when there was no room in any inns, God is still covering people in shelter, providing food, clothing, and more because He is sending people with hearts of love to fill the gaps. In the same way that wise men sought out Jesus and brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and mir, there are people providing gifts and seeds of love that have made what could have stayed a mess and turned it into a good day.

I’m sure Joseph couldn’t have imagined there being anything good in putting his virtue on the line to be the father of the child Mary was carrying. I’m sure that Mary couldn’t have imagined birthing a child in a stable as opposed to the comfort of a home or even a hotel with a midwife to help. Yet, they pressed on to do what had been prophesied and became witnesses to the miracle of Christ born in flesh.

I don’t know what your Christmas was like this year but it’s my prayer that you will look beyond the messiness that might have been to see what was good. I pray that you will not only find the good in the moment, but the good that is yet ahead because you are still around to see what is yet to be. I pray you will look forward to the days ahead and know that there is good even though there may have been a mess. Sometimes that mess is an opportunity to push to find the good. Push ahead knowing that what you’re facing may be messy, but there is good somewhere.