Bless This Mess

Sometimes my life these days just seems... messy. Next week we have our first home study and so naturally we are scrambling to get last minute projects done around the house (that have been waiting to be done for the last... oh, 3 years or so), and tonight as I was looking around at the mess, all I could do was swallow back the tears - not of frustration, or anxiety, or being overwhelmed (although Heaven knows I have had those feelings many times over our mess!)...tonight, they were tears of gratitude that this is the mess that God has given to me. Er, let me rephrase that. This is the beautiful life that God has given me, that can sometimes be just plain messy. I smiled at the half-a-dozen pairs of shoes piled up at the door...because I love the big and little feet that fill them. The dirty little undies soaking in the half-bath, from yet another accident - yep, those are an indication that I have a little life that I have the privilege of training up. The clean, folded clothes piled up on the coffee table, waiting to be put away from the laundry I did this afternoon during naptime are just another reminder that we are not lacking for much of anything, clothes included. The dishes piled up in the sink are still waiting because I was so busy playing and taking a walk after dinner that I didn't have time to get to them yet. The toys, books, and sippy cups scattered on the floor remind me about all the fun that we had today. And I can overlook the mess on the dining room table from my hubby's latest hobby project because I know that I'm blessed to have a man who is truly passionate about everything he does - hobbies included!
Don't get me wrong. I don't always keep this perspective. My attitude often goes first to grumbling and complaining and ends up with either an angry rampage as I work to get things cleaned up, or an overwhelmed spirit that doesn't even want to try (which, by the way, never gets me anywhere). But tonight, I will do what I can to get things presentable, livable, and clean, with a smile in my heart that I get to have this mess. Because not everyone gets this privilege, and I know I would have given anything to have it 5 years ago.
So God, please just bless this mess!