Why are we such a mess?

Have you ever tried to work out God's will your way?

I went to my new found guy's fellowship yesterday morning. We meet in a weight room and kind of work out and more just try to push each other on in strength. Sometimes this comes through mocking sometimes with a little friendly competition and always with prayer. So yesterday someone came up with the bright idea of us doing an "I go, you go" thing. We started with pull-ups which I am really not that proficient at. I used be be much better at them in my younger and lighter years. I might get one or so every round. Then we switched to push-ups. I am a little better at push-ups. I didn't know it before we started, but it turns out that I am. We "I go, you goed" until I got to 100 push ups. I was feeling pretty darn good about it yesterday. I was feeling a little glory it in, I even put it up on face book. But let me tell you today...my body is a mess. Soreness in all kinds of places. I have more muscles in my chest and arms then I knew was possible. I definitely pulled something between my neck and my shoulder on those pull-ups.

Why are we such a mess? Why do I hurt like this after feeling so good about an accomplishment? Don't get me wrong I would still do it all over again, but man do I hurt today.

I am reminded of the mess of humanity when I read through Genesis 27. It's time for the Father's blessing, which almost seems to have supernatural powers in the minds of those in the story. I think it has more to do with the will and testament of the Father. He is putting one of his sons as head of the household and giving him the farm - literally speaking. Rebbecca hears Isaac saying to Esau, "Go out get me some wild game, make me food just the way I like it and I will give you my blessing, I am about to die." She quickly gets Jacob and sets up this crazy, messy deception so that Jacob will get the blessing instead. This has been predicted at their birth so Rebbecca is just trying to help it along.

They go through the motions, Jacob steals the blessing, Esau is ticked "consoling himself with the thought of killing Jacob," and Rebbecca tells Jacob to run away. Essentially Esau gets the farm. It seems really pointless. Now we know God goes with Jacob and blesses him and he becomes Israel and all of that, but it is a really messy way of getting there. It just makes me wonder what would have happened if Rebbecca had let God work it all out instead of doing this deception thing.

Here is the thing I am grateful for in all of this. God still works in the midst of our mess. Even though my body feels like a mess today. God has designed it in a way so this pain can actually be part of making my muscles stronger. I may be able to do 120 push-ups next time or maybe even two pull-ups a round. And even though Rebbecca and Jacob made a mess of things, God is still there to guide them through. He will train this young warrior Jacob to be the man he is to be through the hard knocks he inflicts on himself and God will keep his promise.

So whatever mess you have found yourself in today, or yesterday, or for the rest of your life, remember we have a God of the incarnation. Jesus who not only is dealing with our mess, but entered into it. He didn't just set this world a spinning and then step back to watch us all fly off. He keeps us going day by day and enters into our mess!