Out of the Bubble…

I can finally sit in the chairs on our porch again —
there’s room!

I’m sure our neighbors are glad because it was a mess.
A giant mess, indeed. It was obvious to anyone who passed by that things had piled up on the porch and needed to be addressed.

I’d avoided cleaning it for months. But it was time. So…

I got things in order.
I swept and threw away trash.
And in the process, I even found some broken glass hidden under a box. (Thankfully, I wasn’t barefooted this time!)

It felt good to step out from behind the computer and get outside in the fresh (but cold!) air and sunshine. And it really felt good to have a more peaceful porch.

The process reminded me that there is more to my life than the warm, comfy bubble that you can find me snuggled in most days.

There is far more to this life that God has created for me.
But sometimes it feels like I don’t have room for it all.

I’m sure you see where I’m going with this. 🙂

Bubbles are nice for keeping out the “bad” stuff. But they can also trap us in, forcing us to breathe stagnate air that is not good for our soul. Stepping out offers fresh air and sunshine… a new perspective on things. BUT…

stepping out of our bubbles is not for the faint of heart.

If we choose to do so, we might end up on the messy “porch” that we’ve been avoiding. We might find hidden, broken things that need to be cleaned up. Things that have piled up and need to be addressed.

Maybe the brokenness is a strained friendship.
Maybe the mess is a spiritual battle we’ve been avoiding.
Or maybe it’s a combination of things we can’t even name. Things that yell at us with belittling inner dialogue — dialogue that we have allowed to replace the beautiful life-giving Word that God has been singing to our hearts.

The truth is, we can choose to run back into the warm and cozy bubbles and keep avoiding the mess and brokenness.
But the mess won’t go away on its own. No…
it will keep piling up.

I’m gonna be real.
There is still plenty on my porch (literal and spiritual) that needs to be addressed.
But I can’t do it all at once.
And I can’t do it by myself.
God is working on my blessed mess — bit by bit.
And I know that in Him – there is no judgment — no fear. Only love.

So if you’ve got a “messy porch” in your life, you’re not alone. Come on over and pull up a chair. There’s always room for one more…

#loved
#thankful
#Godisgoodallthetime
#allthetimeGodisgood