The Blessing of a Dirty Trough
By Dean Collins
I try to steer away from controversy in my devotional posts, but sometimes it just happens. Today might be one of those days. No, I am not going to talk about any of the elections or about any political party, but this topic is known to cause disagreements between couples, in families, in the workplace, and even at church. The topic? Messiness.
Some of you really don’t like a mess. In fact, for many it raises your stress levels when you see clutter. Maybe for you it is the dirty dishes in the sink. Or maybe it’s the dirty clothes on the floor by the bed or on the bathroom floor. And what about the trash can that is overflowing? During my days as a marriage and family therapist, I have witnessed first-hand how the differences couples have around these issues can raise stress and create barriers for couples.
Last summer, The Storage Center surveyed 1000 American couples about messiness. While this likely led to a great year in sales, the data was interesting.
Over 1 in 3 Americans living with a partner say their partner’s messiness has made them feel less attracted to them.
62% of women consider their partner to be messy. 50% of men say the same.
I got to thinking about messiness today when I read Proverbs 14:4:
“Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.”
Now I am not calling anyone an ox. And I doubt any of you have one. But the wise preacher of Proverbs makes a good point. If you want a clean feeding troth or manger, then don’t get any farm animals. But if you do have some animals, you will have a regular mess that needs to be cleaned up! An ox was the equivalent of a tractor in ancient times, so if you wanted to get any farming done you needed to have one. To make it more relatable, if you want to have a backyard garden, then you will have to get your hands dirty.
Living in a family is messy. If you cook, you will have a kitchen to clean up. If you wear clothes (and I hope you do!), you will have dirty clothes to wash. While I won’t go on and on about all the places in life that get messy, I do want to make a point about the messiness that comes when we choose to follow Jesus.
If you read the Gospels, you quickly notice that the Pharisees didn’t like messy situations. They had rigid rules that protected them from much interaction with sickness and sinners. Jesus, on the other hand, did not avoid messy interactions. He also was regularly putting his disciples in situations where they had to get their hands dirty by interacting with those deemed unclean. If we choose to follow Jesus and live according to his teachings about the kingdom of God, then we too will have to get our hands dirty.
You might argue about who makes the bigger mess in the kitchen, but hopefully all of us who love Jesus won’t fight about getting our hands dirty when we choose to love and serve those in need.
Father, open our hearts and minds, not only to see those in need, but to step into their lives with a servant’s heart, that they might experience your love and grace. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Proverbs 14:4 ESV
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