My Messy Spirituality

One of the perks of being married to an author is the number of books we receive in the mail. Late last week we received Michael Yaconelli’s Messy Spirituality. I knew I would read it immediately. Though only a chapter into it, it is already kicking my butt. (You might as well stop right now and go buy the book. It will likely kick your butt as well.)

Here are a few lines that really hit me.

“I wake up most days with the humiliating awareness that I have no clue where Jesus is.”

“Spirituality is not a formula; it is not a test. It is a relationship. Spirituality is not about competency; it is about intimacy. Spirituality is not about perfect; it is about connection. The way of the spiritual life begins where we are now in the mess of our lives. Accepting the reality of our broken, flawed lives is the beginning of spirituality not because the spiritual life will remove our flaws, but because we let go of seeking perfection and instead seek God, the one who is present in the tangledness of our lives.”

“Messy Spirituality has the audacity to suggest that messiness is the worship of authentic spirituality, the greenhouse of faith, the place where the real Jesus meets the real us… it is an attempt to break through the religious wall of secrecy and legitimize a faith which is unfinished, incomplete and inexperienced.”

My spirituality is messy and that is OKAY. This philosophy goes against what is so often preached ad perceived in Christianity, but it is dead on. Jesus did not hang out with perfect people. He died for us because of our sinful nature. I am challenged by the call to seek Jesus and learn his truths in the midst of my sin. It may be messy, but I know that his arms will always be there.