It’s a fine kettle of fish I find myself in once again today, as I stand before the bathroom mirror. Gloves on, hair-dye in hand, I am frantically trying to fix the bad do-it-yourself highlighting job from last night. The box said not for use on scalp, but I just need to touch up a couple of these roots. Oops… it’s going to be hard to hit the roots in just the right spot. Guess I’ll get this part, too. Oops… now over here… Oops. Well, might as well just get my whole head. Blondes have more fun anyways, right?  Ah!  Fire!  My scalp feels like it’s on fire!  Ah! It’s turning red. Ugh! How do I always get myself into these predicaments?!?!?

My impulsive streak has gotten the better of me on more than one occasion. I have plenty of material for a remake of “I Love Lucy.” There were the basement walls that I thought would look great orange that turned out emanating a radio-active glow… there was the two-tier chocolate cake, turned into Mississippi mud cake, turned into mouse, turned into Grandma’s surprise…there were the formal dresses I ruined with a steamer, then an iron… countless fix it jobs with scissors, paint, dye… the list goes on and on. And each time I remember the discovery I made the first time I tried to ‘fix’ my bangs when I was nine years old, “The more I try to ‘fix’ it, the worse and worse it gets.” When will I learn that I can’t fix things on my own? I need someone who knows what they are doing. Had I consulted an expert in any of these areas, I would have saved so much time, frustration, and humiliation.

The list of follies above certainly isn’t exhaustive. It doesn’t even begin to touch on mistakes I’ve made in relationships, words said in anger, bad choices with life-altering consequences, etc. I can’t fix these situations on my own any more than I can my bad hair. I need someone who knows what he’s doing. I need Jesus. He can heal a relationship. He can divinely guide our course. He can fix the most desperate situation. In fact, He can turn it in to one of the most beautiful parts of our story. That’s His area of expertise.

It’s tempting to try to clean things up before we come to Jesus. Our lives can be so messy it feels like anyone coming close to us should need not only gloves, but a haz-mat suit. However, as holy as He is, Jesus doesn’t need gloves. When he healed the leper, He placed His sacred hands right on his diseased body. Those same loving hands are extended to you for whatever mess you find yourself in today.

Several years ago, there was a popular worship song called “Lord, I Give You My Heart” by Ruben Morgan. I have taken some liberties with the original lyrics. Today, I am getting rid of every do-it-yourself kit in my arsenal and singing this prayer:  Lord, I give you my mess. I give you control. It’s you I need alone. I get out of the way, Lord help me I pray. Just have your way in me.