“You didn’t just mess up, you are messed up!”

That was the line I heard from a stage play some months back titled ‘NightFood’ as written by Kelvinmary. It was the story of a disabled man and his wife who were torn at the loss of their child. The story went on to show that both of them had committed adultery the same night the child had a convulsion and died. The man was in the next room with his side chic, while the wife was away on a journey with another man.

What was more striking was how the wife kept hammering on the guy’s screw up, while justifying hers as a ‘momentary lapse’. In this post, I’ll be unpacking the first statement. What’s really the difference between one who is messed up and one who just messed up?

I think we can easily place that statement side by side with “You’re not a sinner because you sinned. You sinned because you’re a sinner’. Lol, lots of wordplay if you ask me. As Christians, still living in this human body, we have the tendency to sin and fall short of God’s glory every now and then. At such times for me, I wonder if I’ve become messed up or if I just messed up.

It’s easier to feel like we’re messed up humans. Like we’re those bunch of people who will never get it right. Perhaps, righteous living is just for the pastors. But that’s not true. All have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. We’re messed up from the start: but after we accept Christ and His finished work of dying for our sins, our status changes.

For all who have accepted Christ and the forgiveness of sins, understand that they are new creatures (1 Cor 5:17). You’re not the messed up sinner you once were. You’re a beautiful child of God with all the benefits that Christ’s death and resurrection brought for us.

So when the accuser brings to light all your sins and tells you you’re messed up, remember to confess your sins, look to the cross, and remind the accuser whose son/daughter you are. You are sons and daughters of the king. Though we fall, yet will we rise again.

You aren’t messed up, you just messed up.

Now get up from your mess and live in the victory of God.

Love,

M. ❤️