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I’ve made a mess, a valuable mess! (Part 1) 

What an incredible experience! I set out on a creative mission to convey a MESSage about the beauty and relationship of messes and successes. I typically like things decent and in order, tidy and clean, maybe even polished. With this painting experience, I not only stepped out of my comfort zone but totally jumped ship! This is courage in action.

The Unexpected

I was a little tense going into the experience, feeling vulnerable to the unexpected. Having completed it, I realized that I was more relaxed. One of my goals has been to grow in playfulness, which isn’t as easy for me as for some people. I started doing things to help me grow in that area. This experience has proven to be one of those things. My children gladly participated in making a mess of me! They enjoyed the whole experience such that they asked me not to put the materials away so they could continue to paint together. I watched them explore, create, and develop artwork, though more importantly, develop their relationship. That is quite an accomplishment. What a beautiful, rewarding experience, even in ways I had not expected.

Courage – Leaving the Comfort Zone

Honestly, it wasn’t so fun, initially. I kept saying, “ew!” while I was engaged. My daughter asked why I was saying that. I told her it was because that’s how I felt. She was surprised but noticed that I gradually became more relaxed. I can’t say that I reached the point of total relaxation, but I can say that there was an overall calming effect. Once I completed the exercise, I was glad I decided to do it. I felt as though I successfully made a mess of myself! And, I’m proud of it! Nevertheless, what started off as a potentially dreadful experience turned out to be magnificently successful! I am braver, more courageous and curious, stronger, and wiser than I was before this experience.

No Judgement. No Perfection.

The MESSage at the heart of this experience and my sharing it is that there is beauty and opportunity in our messes and our successes, and God is in both. He will make something magnficence of our messes if we allow. We take what we learn from our messes and apply the knowledge and experience in ways that help us to grow, better handle situations in the future, recognize what’s important and what’s not, as well as embrace the reality that no matter the mess, we have what it takes to recover and move forward. You and I are brave and courageous each time we take a step outside our comfort zone. We are resilient.

Love, Kindness, and Self-Grace

God made each of us. He makes no mistakes. I encourage you to be loving, kind, and forgiving towards yourself and others. Self-grace is unselfish, disciplined, and rooted in God’s merciful grace and sufficiency. Indeed, some mistakes are more difficult to deal with than others. Even so, we can experience hope and healing. The next time you believe you’ve made a mess, embrace the fact that you are human, imperfect, and will make mistakes. Consider what you can learn from the mess and how you can apply the lesson going forward endeavoring not to repeat the mistake. This is true for each of us. We are Magnificent Messmakers!

Reflection – Hindsight (Part 2)

A few notes of reflection. Painting with my children was an amazing experience. However, I realized I neglected to capture some very important aspects of the experience. These include taking before photos, photos of my children making a mess of me, photos of them painting together, photos of us laughing/having fun, in addition to photos of me smiling and during the more relaxed moments.

As I reflect, I am aware the importance of ‘everything’ that being in the moment encompasses. I’ve learned that being so focused on accomplishing a specific goal can detract from a truly organic experience or cause us to miss precious details. When I realized I had not captured these moments, I was hard on myself. I then realized the wonderful opportunity that resulted… I learned to be sure to capture the essence… the important aspects the endeavor at hand. This requires mindfulness, awareness, and being fully present in each moment. It involves relinquishing control of how things unfold and allowing for organic unfolding. Though I set out to accomplish something specific, there was more in store for me. God is showing me that it wasn’t just about demonstrating or conveying a message. It was also about mindfully, attentively, freely seizing the moment and everything in it… engagement, creativity, relationship, lessons, mistakes, messes, successes, and the like. Some beautiful take aways are that I learned that my children and I enjoy painting together; it is relaxing; and it was worth it to indulge. I can reflect upon the experience for self-encouragement when needed, and I smile each time I recall the experience.

Learning from our mistakes and messes. Loving our magnificence and successes!

I am thrilled to have experienced what I call the Triple Threat:

Transparency. Transformation. Transition.

My hope is that this MESSage encourages and blesses you!

Your Turn!

Drawing to win a complimentary workshop registration (with a paid registration) or a complimentary 45-minute to 1 hour coaching session! 

INSTRUCTIONS: To participate in the drawing, please

1) register for the workshop and

2) respond in the comments to the following three questions (providing a full sentence for each question.)

The drawing will close on August 24th, so please don’t delay! I will contact the winner(s) by August 31st. Let the courage and fun begin!

What is your best takeaway from the article?

What step will you take outside your comfort zone?

In what way(s) will your life be different upon taking that step?

You have what it takes. Just do it! You’ll be glad you did.

Lovingly & Faithfully Me, Sheryl