Flour was everywhere. Dirty, sticky, stacked bowls threatened to topple. Every surface in my kitchen was covered in a mess of gooey plaster.

This week, I embarked on a new adventure—making sourdough bread. If you’ve ever done this, you’ll know it’s not just baking; it’s a process, a journey, even a bit of a test of faith. I was anxious when it came time to feed my starter, unsure if I was doing it right. The waiting—watching it grow and double—tested my patience. I leaned on others for advice, as the process took much longer than I imagined.

When I finally started baking, I made a MONUMENTAL mess. Flour everywhere, sticky dough clinging to everything... it wasn’t pretty. But in the end (a day later), there it was: a tasty loaf of bread, warm and fragrant, reminding me of how beautiful the result of hard work and trust can be.

It got me thinking about how life often mirrors this experience. We invest time and care into something—a relationship, a dream, a project—and wait, often impatiently, for it to grow. Sometimes we’re unsure if we’re doing it right, and we look to others for guidance. The waiting stretches us, tests us, and sometimes frustrates us. And then there are the messes—the moments when nothing seems to go as planned, when our efforts feel chaotic and clumsy and all around us is chaos.

But isn’t it in those messy and chaotic moments that we often learn the most? We discover resilience when things don’t happen as quickly as we hoped. We learn humility when we ask for help. We find creativity in cleaning up the aftermath of our efforts. And most importantly, we experience grace when, in the end, something beautiful emerges—not because we did everything perfectly, but because we kept going, trusting that the process matters as much as the result.

Sourdough is a lot like faith, isn’t it? Both require patience, persistence, and a willingness to embrace the messes along the way. Both remind us that growth doesn’t always follow our timeline and that the best outcomes often involve a bit of mystery, a big mess, and a whole lot of grace.

My wish for you this week, Reader, is that whatever you’re nurturing in your life right now—whether it’s a project, a relationship, or your own spiritual growth—take heart. Feed it with care, wait with patience, and don’t be afraid of the mess. God has a way of turning even the stickiest experiences into something nourishing and good. That's the fiLLLed life.
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Live a fiLLLed life, Melissa ​