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Abstract

e political climate, or who gets voted into office.Yes, I absolutely have control to contribute or not contribute to anything. But the outcome is never in my hands.Here lies our biggest fear. That we cannot control the messiness of life. I cannot control who is going to live or die. I cannot control whether a friend will decide to leave my life.And why do I want to control this mess around me? Because if I can control the mess then I can control what happens to me.I was listening today to a show on NPR about Dr. Martin Luther King, JR who many are celebrating the life of today. I’m inspired by the life of Dr. King because he knew that racial injustice was not going to be solved in the 1960s.He knew the hard work of gaining civil justice would come through lots of messiness. Lots of heartaches. Lots of tears. Lots of struggle. He knew all of this, and yet he did his magnificent work anyways. The messiness did not deter him. He had a singular focus, and he spent his life working toward that purpose. I admire him for that and for many other reasons.In my life, I have not appreciated the mess when I have been in it. I’m in some messy situations right now. Since being in the hospital last month my emotions have been a mess. I have experienced fear, sorrow, anger, and feelings of resentment. I have also experienced feelings of immense joy and gratitude, an incredibly beautiful spiritual awakening, and a greater connection with my wife Rachel.I’ve been a mess.<p i

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d="16ca">And, in my mess, an incredible awakening is occurring. It’s the remembering that I’m still a precious human being amid it all. It’s knowing that the mess does not define me.Here is the most powerful lesson that I’m learning today. That there is a beautiful center in my soul that is not a mess. In fact, it is pristine. It is without blemish. It’s like a house that has everything in its right place, is clean, and is a place of beauty.The center of beauty is the unblemished soul that God created. It’s a miracle. It’s a most precious gem.The life I live is messy, but the center of my being is not.I don’t have control over the messiness of life, but I do have a place of refuge. It’s that place of hope that I go to when the emotional storms come through my life.I want to say thank you to that part of my being that keeps me stable. It’s that part of me that stays afloat during the most turbulent storms. It’s that part of me that’s not shaken even by my disbeliefs and fears. Not even my fears of the future can touch it.I invite you today to embrace your messiness. I also invite you to be thankful for the courage you must have to be OK during it. It’s not easy. Life isn’t easy.Thank you most of all for the willingness to look inside of your soul. You will find a rock of hope there. You will discover that you are in fact the miracle that your Creator has told you that you are.Essay by John C. Davis © 2022 All Rights Reserved</article></body>

In the Midst of the Mess is the Glorious and Beautiful You

Inside of you lies a beautiful gem that can never be tarnished

I was reminded of something today by a dear friend.

This friend told me that I have trouble being in the middle. The messy middle. The middle of anything where it’s not awful and it’s not great. The messy life that has not achieved all its goals but has also been awarded and praised for many successes.

Can I live in the mess? Can you live in your mess?

Messiness is not something that many of us are comfortable with. At least I’m not. I guess I shouldn’t speak for all of humanity. I’m just saying that I believe that we generally like completeness and resolution to things.

Many times, in life there is no resolution. There is no happy ending. All the loose ends are not tied up in a neat little bow.

Life is just messy. It just is.

The reason I fear the mess is because it forces me to confront the fact that I’m not in control. I’m not in control of the weather, economic realities, racial inequities, and many other things in the world. I’m not in control of global warming, the political climate, or who gets voted into office.

Yes, I absolutely have control to contribute or not contribute to anything. But the outcome is never in my hands.

Here lies our biggest fear. That we cannot control the messiness of life. I cannot control who is going to live or die. I cannot control whether a friend will decide to leave my life.

And why do I want to control this mess around me? Because if I can control the mess then I can control what happens to me.

I was listening today to a show on NPR about Dr. Martin Luther King, JR who many are celebrating the life of today. I’m inspired by the life of Dr. King because he knew that racial injustice was not going to be solved in the 1960s.

He knew the hard work of gaining civil justice would come through lots of messiness. Lots of heartaches. Lots of tears. Lots of struggle. He knew all of this, and yet he did his magnificent work anyways. The messiness did not deter him. He had a singular focus, and he spent his life working toward that purpose. I admire him for that and for many other reasons.

In my life, I have not appreciated the mess when I have been in it. I’m in some messy situations right now. Since being in the hospital last month my emotions have been a mess. I have experienced fear, sorrow, anger, and feelings of resentment. I have also experienced feelings of immense joy and gratitude, an incredibly beautiful spiritual awakening, and a greater connection with my wife Rachel.

I’ve been a mess.

And, in my mess, an incredible awakening is occurring. It’s the remembering that I’m still a precious human being amid it all. It’s knowing that the mess does not define me.

Here is the most powerful lesson that I’m learning today. That there is a beautiful center in my soul that is not a mess. In fact, it is pristine. It is without blemish. It’s like a house that has everything in its right place, is clean, and is a place of beauty.

The center of beauty is the unblemished soul that God created. It’s a miracle. It’s a most precious gem.

The life I live is messy, but the center of my being is not.

I don’t have control over the messiness of life, but I do have a place of refuge. It’s that place of hope that I go to when the emotional storms come through my life.

I want to say thank you to that part of my being that keeps me stable. It’s that part of me that stays afloat during the most turbulent storms. It’s that part of me that’s not shaken even by my disbeliefs and fears. Not even my fears of the future can touch it.

I invite you today to embrace your messiness. I also invite you to be thankful for the courage you must have to be OK during it. It’s not easy. Life isn’t easy.

Thank you most of all for the willingness to look inside of your soul. You will find a rock of hope there. You will discover that you are in fact the miracle that your Creator has told you that you are.