Messy people

 This is the title of the present study we are doing in Ladies’ Bible study, “Messy People – Life Lessons from Imperfect Biblical Heroes”, by Jennifer Cowart.  We started with our first lesson this last Tuesday, February 1st. We also had an introductory session, and I’ve been thinking a lot about this term, Messy People. 
    I don’t think of myself really as a “Messy Person”. I try to stay clean and neat in my physical appearance. (My husband would probably disagree about my housework habits.) But, as I learned in our first session, being a “Messy Person”, is definitely not about my physical appearance. The author points out that if God wanted something significant done, wouldn’t He choose someone who had it all together? But, as we are going to learn in this study, a lot of our Biblical heroes shatter that image. God uses Messy People, maybe even me. Jennifer points out that God chooses people with rough resumes and imperfect pasts to get His tough tasks done. 
    God looks beyond the flaws and sees who He created each of us to be. He sees someone He has chosen. Just as I was reading this particular passage, I was sitting in the car at Wendy’s waiting for Angela to pick up our dinner. A car pulled up, this lady was struggling to get out of the car because of her size and her disability of having to walk with a cane. That was the outward appearance I saw. I thought to myself, thank you God I don’t have to struggle like that. But, then I stopped and gave it further consideration. That’s not what God sees. He sees someone He created, a beautiful creation that has some physical limitations. She is God’s masterpiece. Paul had some sort of physical limitation, but we’re not sure what it was. But, he certainly was one of God’s masterpieces.    
    I challenge you (and myself). When you look at people, don’t “see” the outward, physical appearance of that person. “See” the beautiful masterpiece that God created. Is this going to be easy? Absolutely not! If you think you are just too flawed by intangible messes such as illness, conflict, depression, abuse, bankruptcy, addiction, relationship challenges, know this: As we see in the Bible, God loves to use Messy People!! 
    I invite ladies to join us as we examine the messy stories of Rahab, the prodigal son, Josiah, Mary, David and Daniel. We will learn how God can use broken people, repair damaged hearts and relationships, and help us deal with the hard moments of life. Don’t think that applies to you? You might be surprised. Along the way, we’ll discover that we don’t have to just endure messy lives, but can actually learn to thrive with God’s guidance and help. In the hands of God, our messes can become His masterpieces! If you are interested in this study, contact me at 501-590-4567, so that I supply you with a book and provide the Zoom link for our meetings. 

Blessings,
Jo Ann Silvi
Office Administrator
and Finance Manager