Strawberry Mess
 

Strawberry Mess By Anne Cetas

Be of the same mind in the Lord. —Philippians 4:2

My husband and I had recently moved into our house when a man dropped off a large box of strawberries on our front sidewalk. He left a note saying he wanted us to share them with our neighbors. He meant well, but some children discovered the box before any adults did and had a strawberry-throwing party at our white house. When we returned home, we saw children we knew watching us from behind a fence. They had “returned to the scene of the crime” to see how we would react to the mess. We could have just cleaned it up ourselves, but to restore our relationship, we felt it was important to talk with them and require their help in cleaning our strawberry-stained house.

Life can get messy with relationship struggles. This was the case in the Philippian church. Two faithful servants, Euodia and Syntyche, were in sharp disagreement. The apostle Paul wrote to the church to encourage them to work through their problems (Phil. 4:2). He also wanted another person to come alongside them with a spirit of gentleness. He wrote, “I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel” (v.3).

Realizing we’ve all made messes in life, we can trust the Lord to help us deal gently with others.
Dear Lord, please give me discernment and
courage in my relationships. Help me by Your
power to be gentle and show the same love
to others that You have shown to me.

True love both confronts and restores.

When I saw this, I thought, a mess is a mess. No matter what flavor it is or what color it is, it may look good, but doesn't mean it is good for you.

Most times we think of a mess as being the darkest of the dark, yet things can be deceiving. It may put darkness in our heart, but that brightness and looking good in the outside, is a mask. Just because we are a mess, doesn't mean it can't be healed and made right. We have to be willing to bring out the darkness to the light and allow it to heal, so the outside matches the inside.