Read John 1:14, John 14

Clearing a lifetime of debris from my parents’ home has been daunting. But, for them, at times, it has been excruciating. As I walk a path through rooms crowded with detritus it makes me think of so much flotsam and jetsam caught in the wake of a ship. Someone thought it was a good idea to empty all the cabinets and cases in order to see what all was there. I am overwhelmed.

Then I hear laughter. The sound of happy voices remembering days gone by flood into the room. This may be bearable after all. The realization that this is just stuff has finally sunk in. Working side by side, both reminiscing and planning for the future, has become the focus. More than having one another, we have a relationship with one another and it has been renewed through this joint endeavor. The fact that relationships are messy and take work is magnified.

Wow, God wants a relationship. Pondering the fact that God of the universe actually wants to dwell with me takes on a new profoundness when I realize at times I don’t even want to live in my mess. I am not naïve enough to believe that any person of the Trinity would be impressed by an orderly life. Living among the neatest of people is icky, gross, disgusting, and chaotic; yet, God sought it and continues to seek it. He longs to help us make sense of it all and stem the tide threatening to overwhelm and that takes a relationship. The relationship with God begins the moment we lean into His embrace and release our hold on all our stuff but it continues into eternity. An eternity where Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us and that is really good news.