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Happy Go Stuckey

Tethering Grace & Togetherness

Mess. (Five Minute Friday)

May 1, 2014 by HappyGoStuckey 14 Comments

Honesty: very rarely do I feel completely put together. I love getting “fixed up” but time (read-my littles) doesn’t always permit. Instead I usually try to fake it with my favorite earrings and a dap of lip gloss.

But today, I was a mess.

We were planning on staying in but when the walls were a little too close together for it to be pre-lunchtime, I hurriedly thought of an errand to run and the yoga pants got swapped for a pair of jeans. They’re really the only jeans I wear and they have a small rip by the right pocket. A rip that was there when I bought them. I figured, “I’m not even 32 yet. I can rock a little classy rip in my jeans.” Trouble is, my kiddos like to stick their fingers in the rip and make it bigger. Sigh. They think it’s hilarious and it kind of is.

But even those slightly “Hip” jeans couldn’t save me today. The way-too-messy-to-be-on-purpose sock bun wasn’t even my problem. It was my cluttered, messy heart and mind.

Today started with a bang and by the time I came back from the gym my early risers were rising even earlier. Leaving no time to start slow and take in a bit of scripture and prayer.

It doesn’t always have a direct and immediate noticeable affect on my attitude. Today it did.

Before I knew it, the mom who tried to spruce up a bit on the outside felt frustrated and well, a desperate mess of a mess.

That was me, trying to listen to the story being told to me by one little while the littlest little was pitching a ROYAL FIT at a very heightened volume in the middle of Costco. Every little thing I tried to do today was like walking through a swimming pool of jello. Which for mamas of littles, isn’t necessarily out of the ordinary. But my messy, cluttered heart and mind could not deal. And I took it personally. I felt defeated. I felt like a mom who shouldn’t have any more kids. I felt like I couldn’t, wasn’t handling the two I had. I felt, I felt, I felt.

But for GOD.

Praise Him He is the righter of our wrongs. The cleaner-out of our messy thought closets. And when we are just… so far from being together… So far from having it all together with children who behave and hair that stays in place— HE is what we need. More of HIM. Less of our insecurities.

Much, much less of us. And More of Him. And more, much more of saying “yes” to whatever it is He wants of us. There is nothing you touch, no skinned knee that needs a kiss and a DocMcStuffins Band-aid,  no attempt at cooking ground beef in yet another *exciting* way, no neighbor that just needs a bit of grace… nothing that doesn’t fall under the heading of, “bringing Glory to God.” So let Him have it all. 

Five Minute Friday It’s friday (almost) and that means we write for 5 minutes together and link up here! 

Things I learned in April
Grace for the Working Mother and her Guilt (Guest Post from Lisa-Jo Baker)

Comments

  1. Holly Barrett says

    May 1, 2014 at 10:44 pm

    More of Him and less of our insecurities. Yes! I need that in the middle of my mess!

    Reply
  2. Meredith Bernard says

    May 1, 2014 at 10:51 pm

    You and I were having the same day a few states away. 😉 And I missed my quiet time first thing this morning and that didn’t help me even one. little. bit. But GOD. Yes!! So thankful He rights my wrongs and works with my mess. Appreciate your words and your heart.

    Reply
  3. Rachel Lundy says

    May 1, 2014 at 11:06 pm

    Yes! More of Him! We try to look clean and presentable on the outside, but on the inside we just need more of Jesus. More of Him to clean up our messy thought closets as you say!

    Reply
  4. Rachel Lundy says

    May 1, 2014 at 11:07 pm

    Yes! More of Him! That is just what we need, no matter how clean and presentable we look on the outside. Inside, we just need Jesus.

    Reply
  5. jenpcv says

    May 1, 2014 at 11:11 pm

    Hmm…earrings and lip gloss are about as good as it gets for me! 🙂 Hope tomorrow is a little less messy, and that you get your quiet time in to keep you sane. 🙂

    Reply
  6. Jacqueline Heider says

    May 1, 2014 at 11:44 pm

    Awesome post! Thank goodness He cleans up my messes!

    Reply
  7. Rachel Quigley says

    May 1, 2014 at 11:48 pm

    Ha ha…you had me laughing out loud…which isn’t a good thing right now since my hubby is sound asleep next to me! Thanks for sharing…I loved it! It’s so great when He steps into the middle of our mess and meets us right there!

    Reply
  8. onerebelheart says

    May 2, 2014 at 9:00 am

    I love this: “way too messy to be on purpose”! There’s a fine line between messy on purpose and just plain messy. 🙂 Lovely post!

    Reply
  9. CW says

    May 2, 2014 at 9:30 am

    Sounds very much like the day I had yesterday…though let’s keep being honest: I wouldn’t have traded the yoga pants for anything!

    Reply
  10. amypboyd says

    May 2, 2014 at 10:05 am

    I think But God are my two favorite words.

    Reply
  11. Jolene Underwood (@Faith_Eyes) says

    May 2, 2014 at 11:34 am

    Love hearing your heart and just you, living a real life with real messes. Thank you for sharing. Glad to “meet” you through FMF!

    Reply
  12. Karrilee Aggett says

    May 2, 2014 at 11:43 am

    “Praise Him He is the righter of our wrongs. The cleaner-out of our messy thought closets.” Yes – this!!! Amen for this!!!

    Reply
  13. lisa @ being stepmom says

    May 2, 2014 at 9:32 pm

    I’m with CW… the yoga pants would have stayed! teasing. sort of.
    More of Him – yes!

    Reply
  14. Sharon says

    May 4, 2014 at 1:01 am

    I was mesmerized by the fun way you expressed yourself so transparently and then offer the God Factor to make the mess blessed by His Grace! I also loved the picture of being a mom of “littles” because now I get to think of myself as being a mom of 3 “bigs.” My bigs are soon to be 22, 24 and 30. I’m grandmom of one “little” thirteen month old and all will be at my house this week. You made me smile. Thanks!

    Reply

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Hey There!

I'm Cynthia and I'm so glad you're here. I am an introvert with an extrovert's love of gathering people together. I love good books and capturing moments. Whether you visit me here or on my own front porch, I'll be the one holding the Iced Coffee for us both.

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Joy is the courage of people who don’t have all Joy is the courage of people who don’t have all the answers, yet.

While you sit in a season of waiting,
the calendar can often be a cruel companion, reminding you that days go by, weeks, months— with what feels like very little change in the right direction.

Perhaps you can easily assent to: 
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

but you strain to see just how it will be when: “...a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12)

Wherever you and I are today— whether we wander, wait, stand firmly planted, or some pressed together combination of all three — we can take heart.

We are not alone.
And this will not be wasted.
What seems to be an unending blank space, an indefinite pause, is a space for new things.

Long before all is made right, and whether or not it all is tied up neatly with a perfectly crafted bow— we can know this:

We do not have to know the outcome to be faithful today.

✨Joy is not disregard for reality as much as it is obstinacy against despair.✨
Hi 👋🏻 I’m Cynthia and I’m a bit weary. T Hi 👋🏻 I’m Cynthia and I’m a bit weary. There. I said it. These days I’m gravitating to the true & the beautiful as rest for my weary self... and I wonder if you are too.

So much so, that I’m starting a new little offering, it’s called “The Feast: Wonder for the Weary” and the first issue goes out this weekend. It’s a bit more personal (okay this first one is WAY more personal. 🤭) It will be a little bit of everything, all with the goal of offering REST to both the feasters & foragers alike. If you’re already a subscriber— no need to do anything, if not— click through my bio to “keep in touch” and join the feast.✨
We are a people of both lament and praise. We hol We are a people of both lament and praise.

We hold questions without answers— yet we hold them in hands already full of good things.

We hold our daily bread, our daily gifts, and we hold the daily closeness of the God Who Sees.

The God who is no stranger to our lament, and Who Is the reason for our every hope.
He does not grow weary of our asking. Of our need to be told again, He will. 

You friend, are not invisible.
You are seen and cared for by the God who does all things well. (Even when they feel anything but.)
Married love ambition: making the kids roll their Married love ambition: making the kids roll their eyes at our “gushy-ness” as often as possible. 

President & CEO of the Lance Stuckey Fan Club— in every season, but especially on days like today.
Rainy day Mocha date, courtesy of our own toasty k Rainy day Mocha date, courtesy of our own toasty kitchen.😍🌧📚

On this chilly Saturday, we spent entirely too long browsing for books at our library and then all came home to a fire, mochas, and cocoa, respectively. Of all the things we do not know at this very moment, we know the gifts abound, and are worth counting.

PS, if you haven’t spread whipped cream on a foil-lined baking sheet to freeze, and then cut out cute shapes with cookie cutters to top your coffee or hot cocoa, may I suggest you get thee on that at once.
“If God sends us on strong paths, we are provide “If God sends us on strong paths, we are provided strong shoes.” — Corrie Ten Boom

✨File under, things to save in a fire.✨

The prayer journal pictured here contains six months of the hard & the sweet.
Six months of prayers asked & answered for ourselves and for others.
Six months of seeing through prayer, not how it changed our circumstances necessarily but how it changed us.

I always appreciate a record like this— being able to clearly see the paths we are led down, rocky though they may be? Priceless.

The ways God has come near us & drawn us to Himself again and again are written on these pages and I’ll treasure it forever.

Also pictured: Psalms Illuminated Scripture Journal. Highly recommend. Thank you always, @allifarnell
“The world is indeed full of peril, and in it th “The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.”
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

While scrolling through my photos today, my heart was heavy to realize how far back “before” was.

Before masks and distancing, before loss, before other, more personal bits of hard. Multitudinous change, neither all bad nor all good.

With our free time, we’ve introduced our girls to Tolkien, Bilbo, Frodo, and especially Samwise the Brave. They are officially hooked and we are delighted to watch them discover another world where evil doesn’t win, and the courage of the small matters much. {they close their eyes at the Orcs and we haven’t had a nightmare yet!}🤞🏻😂😬
I’m leaning increasingly more into the analog th I’m leaning increasingly more into the analog these days.

It started with the Sourdough and a dozen different kinds of jam last year.
I suddenly find great calm in activities that stand in direction opposition to hurry, the textbook definition of ✨work in progress.✨ And really, if you could see the other side of this piece, you would believe me. 🙃

Thank you to @thebarmyfox for making embroidery so accessible!
@thenester says, “It doesn’t have to be perfec @thenester says, “It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful,” and I believe that the weeknight meal equivalent is, “Just because it’s easy— doesn’t make it a second-tier supper!”

Thank you, Spaghetti with Meat sauce for being both a ministry to mom AND a crowd pleaser. Especially on a dreary January-ish day. It is ✨quite alright✨ to make something we’ve made a million times just because we know it makes the people happy.🍝
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