Walking with the Wise #165: A Beautiful Mess

“Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,
but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.”
—Proverbs 14:4

Life is messy. Ministry is messy. When I was a youth pastor, we had our children meet in an upper room at the church that was directly above one of our adult Sunday school classes. The kids were often loud, playing games, running around, generally causing some distraction to the adult class. The youth of the church also left a mess wherever they went, much to the frustration of the older folks at the church. One particular day, they complained to their teacher about the kids and wanted them to stop making so much noise. He responded, “Isn’t it great hearing the future of our church upstairs?” His remark quickly quieted them.

What that teacher was doing was illustrating, in a small way, the purpose of this verse. The purpose of oxen was one of work. They made everything go in an agrarian culture—helped them plant and harvest crops. Their work was indispensable, especially for those with a great amount of crops. But, like any animal, they were messy, leaving their dung in the manger. The principle is one of provision and life’s messiness. If we want to plan for the future, we must understand that our planning comes with a price. For the aforementioned Sunday school class, they needed to understand that the mess that came with the children wasn’t fun, but through them the church would continue on and grow. If they wanted a clean and quiet church, they needed to realize that there wouldn’t be an abundant future ahead of them.

There are things in our lives that are messy, but we must ask whether the inconvenient mess we have is really harming us, or is it really a beautiful mess that is a sign of a bright future? Is the mess you are facing with your kids or your workplace one of simple inconvenience? Or is it a sign that God is working for your future? Ask God to let you see if its harmful or beautiful. Ask Him to give you the eyes to see the future and then act in the present so that you might enjoy the beautiful mess before you. Amen.