Life is Messy

I had a great talk with a friend yesterday. Through the whole conversation I couldn't help thinking "Life is messy." And it is. I think too often Christians get caught up in this "life is beautiful, and the clouds are made out of cotton candy, and I frolic in the meadow of daisies" attitude. And while I agree that life can be beautiful, it is equally as messy.

It's actually when I get in the beautiful life mode, I find myself distanced from Jesus. That might sound so contradictory, but the fact of the matter is: Life affected Jesus. Sometimes, I get discouraged by life--but so did Jesus. He needed room to grieve, just as you and I. He was a man. Jesus was a man in a way we have forgotten men can be: truthful, compassionate, blunt, emotional, non-manipulative, sensitive. He never did anything halfheartedly. He embraced our humanity so fully and totally that he was able to die. Yes, life affected Jesus.

I am encouraged when I remember Jesus shares in my humanity. I`m sure things made him laugh just as they do me. The Pharisees made him furious. He felt joy, weakness, sorrow, anger, and pain. The more I can grasp his humanity, the more I find him as someone I can approach, know, love, trust, and adore.

I then catch myself taking a step back. Jesus wasn't fully human, right? On the contrary! The manger Mary used as a bassinet held something more human than humanity. Yes, Jesus was the most human human-being who ever lived. It's true. Life is messy. The ravages of sin, neglect, abuse, and addictions have cast a shadow of what we were meant to be. Jesus is humanity in its truest form. He was the Son of Man. Not of God-of man.

So when life gets messy, I look in the mirror. Why? Because then I see Jesus. We were the only thing said to be created directly in his image. Our humanity is a reflection of Jesus' humanity. Jesus feels-I feel. Jesus longs-I long. Jesus weeps-I weep. Jesus laughs-I laugh..and laugh some more. So when life is messy, and I feel Jesus is too far away, his humanity brings him close again. Life affected Jesus, so it's okay for life to affect me.