When my kids were mobile infants and toddlers, they never ceased to amaze me at what they could get into and not get out of. They'd get lodged behind the couch, stuck under a dresser, hung up in a drawer. Then I'd move the couch, duck their little heads under the furniture, or pry their toes from a drawer handle. They were a mess sometimes. So, today when I caught sight of a tangled skein, it was a great reminder to me that God does the same thing for me. The skein was pricey Alpaca yarn. It was intended to become a hat before there were some, ahem, "difficulties" in the process. Now, it makes a great illustration of my life (and yours). My life is is the tangled mess. Every hour of every day God is working those strands of yarn loose. He is freeing me from the places I have managed to crawl myself into or under. It's not an easy process. The yarn snaps, it needs to be cut sometimes and tied back together, and some places are so knotted it will take weeks to figure it all out. But God is patient, and He lovingly moves me in whatever direction I need to go to be freed from the mess of my making. In His time, the knots come out, the yarn is rolled into a manageable ball, and knotted strings and all, he uses it to make something beautiful. God is not waiting for you to be perfect before you come to Him. All He wants is for you to have the faith to hand him the mess. He'll take it from there.
Ephesians 2:
1 Once you were dead, doomed forever because of your many sins. 2 You used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passions and desires of our evil nature. We were born with an evil nature, and we were under God's anger just like everyone else. 4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, 5 that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's special favor that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ, and we are seated with him in the heavenly realms -- all because we are one with Christ Jesus. 7 And so God can always point to us as examples of the incredible wealth of his favor and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us through Christ Jesus. 8 God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
