Dear Sister, you are allowed to be messy.

Back in November I wrote a letter to a dear friend of mine and ended up posting it because I had a sneaking suspicion she and I were not the only ones questioning our worth. This second Dear Sister is about messiness. Similar to that last post, I sat across a friend who mirrored similar struggles and YEP there I went again pouring grace and encouragement but reflecting quite the opposite back at myself.

I think so many of us sweep things under the rug because maybe that's the quickest option or we feel like we're not allowed to be and feel messy? I wrote this letter to you (and me) because messes require attention and I think we're ready to sit and unpack those physical & emotional messes together!

This one is for you, my messy brother and sister 

Dear Sister, you are allowed to be messy. Wait, I don't think you really read that so I'm going to need you to stop and read that first sentence over again...and slowly...and maybe even out loud!

You. Are. Allowed. To. Be. Messy.

Sister, I can see the amount of effort you put into embracing a little too much all at once. I'm here to try and slow you down for just a moment so I can show you the buildup that's accumulated. Let's own it together (and maybe even confront it after this)! You see, messes require attention.  That means stop being everywhere for just a moment and sit where that mess is!

I can give you a perfect example of what that looks like. Remember all those times during your school breaks when nothing was going on and you dedicated days just to clean up the clutter around the house? Remember before everything was clean and organized it was pure chaos?! You laid everything (and I mean everything) out across the floor just to take inventory of how much you were dealing with. It seemed like a literal mountain but you set that time aside to sit and assess what you were working with.

Well, I know you don't have those school breaks anymore and the breaks you do have you sure as heck don't want to spend surrounded by that mess... but it's there and it's begging for a little tender love and care!

Why don't we start now? You see those boxes you've been dreading to unpack in your bedroom? Start there. How about that insecurity you've been hanging onto for a little too long (you know which one I'm talking about)? Start there. Those are messy ugly bits and it's okay to approach them. Yes, it takes time and a whole lot of work, but Sister, the longer you distract yourself, the heavier and more cluttered that mess gets.

Plot twist: You might think this is a solo mission, but it's not! Oh gosh, YES, it's embarrassing (and/or painful) to let someone in--maybe because you literally can't open the door (HAH!) or because you don't know where to start--it's too much to sift through! Sister, invite me in. Invite others in.

Being a mess in a world that seeks perfection is hard. Just like you've ignored that mess, ignore that world for just a moment--I promise you, it'll still be there! ;)

I love you and your mess!
Xo
Amanda