Greg grumbled at the mess in front of him. He’d spent nearly thirty minutes trying to smooth the spackle over the hole in the drywall. What he expected to be a simple job was chewing up half his morning. At this rate, Mike would be here before he was even close to being finished. And now, as the spackle was drying, the task was getting harder. He slapped more spackle on the wall and attempted, once again, to smooth the lines.

The doorbell rang, and Greg inwardly cursed. He shouted towards the open screen door. “Come in!”

Mike entered the house and followed Greg’s voice. “You don’t look ready for lunch. Everything OK?”

“Not really. I can’t get this stupid spackle smooth.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Of course, I do. If it’s not smooth, when I paint over it, it will look awful.”

Mike’s tone was gentle. “I understand that. But once the spackle is dry, you can sand it. That will make it smooth. You’re trying too hard to do a job that will be easy with the right tool.” He moved over to the wall. “How you have it now is fine. Let it dry, then sand it, and you’ll be ready to go.”

Greg stared at Mike. “Where were you an hour ago when I needed that advice?”

Mike chuckled. “I came exactly when I said I would. Come on, let’s go grab some pizza.”

Twenty minutes later, with a large pepperoni pie between them, Greg inhaled the scent of oregano and tomato and relaxed for the first time all day.

“Mind if I bless the food?” Mike asked.

“Be my guest.”

Mike closed his eyes. “God, thanks for this food. And thanks for this time together. Please give me the words to say to Greg that will be a blessing to him. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Greg grabbed a slice and took a hearty bite. The warm cheese sent his salivary glands into overdrive. “Nobody makes pizza like Antonio.”

Mike nodded, his mouth too full to speak. Once they’d both polished off their first two slices, Mike folded his hands in front of him. “How are you doing?”

“I’m fine.”

“No, really. This is me. We’ve been friends for a long time. You can tell me the truth. How are things going at AA?”

Greg took a swig of soda. “It’s good. My sponsor has been really helpful. I haven’t had a drink in over a month now.”

“Praise God.”

“I’m not sure it has anything to do with God.”

Mike was silent for a moment. “I’m sorry to hear you say that.”

“Yeah, I know you have a good relationship with God, but He wants nothing to do with a loser like me.”

Mike raised his eyebrows. “What makes you think you’re a loser?”

Greg leaned back in the booth. “Are you kidding me? I’m an alcoholic, I can’t keep a girlfriend, and I’m still working an entry-level job even though I’m in my thirties. I’ve made a mess of things.”

“You’re in recovery. You realize you have a problem, and you’re no longer letting alcohol rule your life. I’m sure the work and relationship situations will improve as you continue in your sobriety.”

“I guess.”

“But none of that makes you a loser in God’s eyes. Even if you were out of work and drunk, you’d still be important to Him. He loves you no matter how messed up your life is.”

Greg took another bite of pizza and chewed, letting Mike’s words wash over him. “I always thought I had to clean up my life before I could come to God.”

“Definitely not. When Jesus was hanging on the cross, there were two other criminals being crucified at the same time. One thief turned to Jesus and asked Him to remember him when He came into His kingdom. Jesus told him he would be with Him in paradise.”

“What’s your point?”

“That man was hanging on a cross as a punishment for his crimes. He didn’t have his life cleaned up, but Jesus said he’d go to heaven anyway. The Bible tells us Jesus died for us while we were sinners, not when we had it all figured out.”

Greg wiped his mouth with a napkin. “I’m not sure I’ve ever heard that before.”

Mike’s eyes lit. “It’s kind of like your spackle job.”

Greg groaned. “I hope not. Man, that was frustrating.”

Mike laughed. “It doesn’t have to be. You worked and worked to clean up the spackle, but it still wasn’t smooth. You can work and work to clean up your life, and you still won’t be good enough to get into heaven.”

Greg pushed his plate away. “If that’s supposed to be inspiring, your motivational speaking needs work.”

“Hear me out. You can’t get to heaven on your own. No matter how hard you try. And you couldn’t smooth the spackle. But once you sand it, it will be perfectly smooth. And if you ask Jesus to take over your life, you’ll be perfect and smooth.”

Greg considered Mike’s words. “That actually makes sense. How did you manage to turn my home improvement struggles into a sermon?”

Mike shrugged. “Jesus used everyday examples to speak to people all the time. The important thing is not what you think of my sermon, but what you do about it. God’s already accepted you. Now all you need to do is accept Him.”

Romans 5:8  

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

God, thank You for the reminder that we can’t do everything on our own. Thank you for loving us through all our imperfections. It is wonderful to know that when we have struggles, we don’t have to figure it all out ourselves. You love us and want what is best for us, and will help us become more like You, if we’re only willing to let You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.