Humans are messy and make mistakes. It has been that way since Adam and Eve. I guess it is the human flaw. But this flaw is present in all of us. Trying to avoid mistakes in life is like navigating an unknown minefield—inevitable, messy, and unpredictable.
Still, the reality of human messiness leaves me reflecting on a few truths:
- God forgives every mistake if we turn to Christ and give Him our life.
- We are harder on ourselves. While we may be “white as snow” in Jesus’ eyes, we often see ourselves—or others see us—as black as coal.
- Focusing on our mistakes blinds us to everything else. When we fixate on the wrong things we’ve done:
- We let Satan rob our lives of joy and freedom.
- We magnify the mistake until it shapes our future, not just our past.
- We create a self-fulfilling prophecy that we are nothing more than the sum of our mistakes.
These truths are not easy to accept. I struggle with them, too. And sometimes, the fear of making mistakes again can cause us to pull back from life entirely, leaving us stuck.
Fear Can Keep Us From Living God’s Plan
This fear isn’t new. Moses struggled with it, too. He felt unworthy to do God’s work, even when the Lord spoke to him directly. Time and again, he argued, made excuses, and resisted stepping into his purpose.
Most of us won’t hear the audible voice of God like Moses did. But if we spend time in prayer and remain present with God, we can begin to listen for His plans for us. And when we lean into His will, He shows us that even in the midst of our mess, He is working.
Being refined by God is messy business. Think of the potter at the wheel, hands covered in clay, molding and shaping something beautiful. Think of the artist, known for their chaotic disorganization, creating stunning works of beauty in the middle of their “mess.”
When life feels overwhelming or out of control, maybe it’s because we’re in the middle of being shaped into something new. Maybe what feels like a mess on the surface is God’s greatest work taking form in us.
The Messy Lens We Use to See Ourselves
I’ve made my share of mistakes. To me, they are obvious, messy, and damaging. That’s how they look through my lens. But here’s the strange thing about being human: others don’t always see us the way we see ourselves.
Once, I had a boss I deeply respected. During a conversation, she made a comment—almost as a criticism—that I had never made any big mistakes. Her tone was almost dismissive, as if I couldn’t possibly understand the weight of failure.
Her words bothered me on several fronts:
- It wasn’t true—I had made plenty of mistakes.
- It made me wonder: was I spending all my energy hiding my mess?
- It felt like even my efforts to avoid mistakes were somehow wrong.
The truth is, in Christ, I believe we are forgiven and made clean—white as snow. But in this world, it’s impossible to avoid being messy or messing up. That’s who I am and what I do. Both.
Grace Over Hiding
If God forgives us—if He gave us His Son so we could be free from our mess—then it doesn’t feel right to allow Satan to use our mistakes against us. We can’t let him rob us of God’s greatest gift: grace.
Instead, we have to fight through the mess. We must accept ourselves (and others) as humans—flawed and forgiven. And we need to share the same grace and mercy with ourselves that Christ has shown us.
Hiding didn’t work for Adam and Eve, and it won’t work for us. When they realized their mistake, they tried to cover themselves and hide from God. But God came to them, as He always does, with grace and mercy—even though their actions had consequences.
Leaning Into the Mess
So, what is my goal in all of this? I think it comes down to this:
I don’t believe God wants us to hide our mistakes. He knows about them anyway. And while we all want less mess and fewer crises in life, I don’t think God calls us to spend all our energy avoiding, protecting, or covering up.
I think He calls us to lean in.
- Listen for His voice. Spend time in prayer and be open to His guidance.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to help you. Trust Him to refine you in the messy moments.
- Move forward in faith. Step out boldly, trusting that God can use even your mistakes for His glory.
This doesn’t mean we’ll avoid the pitfalls of life. It doesn’t mean everything will suddenly feel neat or orderly. But we can trust that God is with us, working through the mess to create something beautiful.
Between the mistakes, and even in the middle of the chaos, there will be meaningful moments—moments that glorify Him and remind us that life is worth living boldly.
So, here’s the truth: life will always be messy. Humans will always make mistakes. But we are also loved, forgiven, and redeemed by the God who specializes in turning our mess into His masterpiece.
