“Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,
but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.”
– Proverbs 14:4
If you want to do things that matter, it will probably get messy! Get used to that. Embrace it! A farmer obsessed with having a perfectly clean barn will only achieve that by getting rid of the animals required to succeed at farming. With fruitfulness and productivity comes a certain inevitable amount of messiness. It’s OK to like tidy but fruitfulness needs to take priority.
The same is true in life and the service of God. If we wish to be productive and fruitful for God, it will come with a certain messiness in our churches and our lives. If we’re going to reach those hurting, broken, and far from God with the good news of Jesus Christ, it will require energy, compassion, and a willingness to patiently endure ups and downs, successes and setbacks, joys and hurts, thrills and disappointments, and lots and lots of changes. To lovingly meet the needs of those God puts in your path requires a willingness to sacrifice your comfort, preferences, and expectations for their sake.
Jesus has promised us that we’re surrounded by harvest fields prepared by God – people open to the Gospel and ready to embrace God’s grace and love. If you’re a Christian, then you’re one of the workers God has designated to go out, whether to your neighborhood or to the nations. Either way, going out will get messy. That’s the nature of getting close enough to people to really impact them for Jesus. Prepare yourself – messy is the price of fruitfulness. Don’t worry about a clean stable, get involved in God’s abundant harvest despite the mess! #FollowJesus