Messy

He's running. He's bookin' it. This guy will definitely outrun whatever's chasing him. He was made for this. Except... whoops, didn't see that hole in the ground there. Now he's got some thing wanting to eat him above and no where to go. We suddenly find ourselves disappointed, confused, and angry for this dude. He didn't deserve this!

Thus is life. Life is messy.

It's full of rich, deep, and insightful meaning... when you look back on it. Going through it is a whole different ball game. Life is finally being able to put your head on your pillow after getting four young kids to bed. It's walking down the aisle without your dad because he made the ultimate sacrifice defending your freedom. It's answering phone calls from your grandpa multiple times in the day knowing one day he won't remember your name or your face. It's waking up in the hospital not knowing how you got there. It's feeling guilt from a choice made that now involves an innocent life. It's flunking out of a hard class that you studied so diligently for. It's being told there is no cure. It's letting a friend down because you forgot, it's letting your spouse down because you forgot.

It's messy.

And yet, despite the turmoil we face in our lifetime, we're able to find laughter, hope, peace, forgiveness and love... even if it's just glimpses. We find it in ourselves to look in the mirror and say, "This life is worth living." It's nothing from within ourselves. I know for a fact I am not capable of freeing myself from the regret and pain that comes into my life although there are days I'd love to give myself credit.

Jesus makes my life worth living. He's promised me peace in trials (John 16:33), love when I turn against myself (1 Cor. 13) and hope through His sacrifice when I feel the world cannot be saved (John 3:16). And those gifts He's given lend me a much better perspective on life; they give me faith. And in that faith I find my strength to keep my eyes looking up and my feet moving forward; through it all.

So it's not so much a question of what's chasing you or how deep the hole you've fallen is. When life gets messy and you're surrounded, the question will be what kind of person will you be through it all?