A fine mess

February 21, 2007

By Greg Ebie

Our dog Lucy is so much fun to watch. She will dance and roll around on the floor; she will look up at us with her dark brown eyes and then almost try to talk to us. And why does she do that? A doggie snack and a belly rub are some of her favorite motivators. At other times she will just snuggle close and sleep at your side on the couch. Yep, it’s a dog’s life!

Lucy is very much a part of our family, but the love and joy she brings to us come at a price. Lucy is also a little mess-maker. We have all learned you can’t enjoy the “Lucy smile moments” unless you are also willing to sometimes clean up her messes. I think it’s a good trade.

“No cattle, no crops; a good harvest requires a strong ox for the plow” (Proverbs 14:4, The Message).

So what’s the purpose of Solomon’s “farming lesson?” Before the days of diesel tractors the strength of the ox was used to plow the fields. Let’s just say to enjoy the harvest required dealing with your “plow’s exhaust.”

Growing up, I learned firsthand how messy cattle can be. The cows brought in to be milked at Grandpa’s farm stood in stalls with a feeding trough at one end and a very different trough at the other end. Let’s just say what went in one end came out the other. Why did the milk have to be so close to that end? The first step to milking the cows was to clean them up, so the next time you pour a glass of milk you can be thankful someone was willing to clean up a mess.

Some people want to live a sanitary life free from messes. The only way to avoid people problems is to avoid people. Rather than having to work through conflict or struggle to be understood, some people prefer to isolate themselves. Their life is kept clean, but it is also empty.

To enjoy the benefits of love you must be willing to deal with the occasional “messy relationship.” I’m glad the harvest is always greater than what is sown. The hard work is worth it in the end.

Don’t avoid people. Cleaning up a mess with patience and forgiveness will reap even greater rewards. To enjoy a life full of love means being willing to clean up a mess or two.

How do you want to live — sanitary and empty, or vibrant and full of love?

D. Greg Ebie is senior pastor of Praise Assembly of God in Garrettsville, Ohio, and an author of Daily Bread devotionals.