Between O.C. and messy

“Oh, no!”  the father gasped, as he surveyed the disaster before him. Never in his 40 years had he seen anything like it. How anyone could have survived, he did not know.  He could only hope that somewhere amid the overwhelming destruction he would find his 16-year-old son. Only the slim hope of finding Danny kept him from turning around and fleeing the scene.

He took a deep breath and proceeded. Walking was almost impossible with so many things strewn across his path. He moved ahead slowly.

“Danny! Danny!” he whispered to himself. He tripped and almost fell several times. Then he heard someone, or something move. At least he thought he did. Perhaps he was just hoping he did. He shook his head and felt his gut tighten.

He couldn’t understand how this could have happened. There was some light but not enough to see very much. Something cold and wet brushed against his hand. He jerked it away. In desperation, he took another step then cried out, “Danny!”

And from a nearby pile of unidentified material, he heard his son. “Yes, Dad,” he said, in a voice so weak it could hardly be heard.

“It’s time to get up and get ready for school,” the father sighed. “And for heaven’s sake, clean up this room.”

This story, credited to anonymity, has always put a smile on my face.

“Are you O.C.?” I would ask, and I’d see a lot of my seminar participants begin to smile. O.C. refers to the popular term “Obsessive Compulsive.” Which I’m absolutely not. I’m the exact opposite of O.C. I am extremely messy!

I think best on my feet. Participants in my workshops and seminars see that I rarely sit down. And when I speak, I move around A LOT. It’s just that there’s about a thousand ideas swimming in my head all the time.

It’s the same thing at home. The only time I stay still is when I’m doing my quiet time, meditating on Scriptures and saying my prayers. Maybe this is the reason why I’m clumsy at times. It’s definitely the reason why I’m messy.

I was listening to a charming lady speaker talking about the need to understand the art and science of office management. I listened with fascination as she waxed eloquently about how office files should be kept, how materials should be stored in their proper place. And then she said something that really touched my nerves. She said, “You need to be clean and neat, because a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind.”

Ouch! I was hurt with what she said. She should see my desk and see how cluttered it is.

“Do you have any questions?” the lovely lady speaker asked, and quickly I raised my hand.

“Yes, what is your question?” she asked.

I stood up, smiled at her, and asked, “Well if a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, I wonder what an empty desk is a sign of?” She glared at me for the rest of the session.

Let me get to the point. I’ve known of many O.C. parents who have tormented their children sweating out the small stuff – nagging them, pouncing on them and punishing them just because their cabinets and their room are messy. It’s important to teach our children order, neatness and cleanliness, but when we get on their case all the time, this might make our children think that our love for them depends on some performance standards.

We love our kids because we love our kids, whether they’re messy or not. God’s love upon us is not predicated on our performance. God loves us because He loves us.

I’m glad God could love a messy person like me. Aren’t you happy He loves you for who you are as well?

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