“If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?” ~ Attributed to Albert Einstein

So let’s talk about messy. I’ve seen some serious, long term marital arguments about one spouse being messy. It runs both ways, but when the husband is the messy one women seem to heap a lot of judgment on the guy. They also attribute motives to him that may be 100% wrong.

When I talk about messy I’m not talking about something that is a health hazard (like the image here) or makes it impossible to move through the room. I’m talking about never having a clear desk and having a few stacks of stuff here and there. I’m also talking about being less rigid about cleaning up. Again, not to the point of harmful to health.

Our culture tends to think cleanliness is next to godliness, a thought not actually spelt out in the Bible. However, a number of studies have found creative people tend to be messy and everyone is more creative in a somewhat messy environment.

So what if hubby’s messiness is not laziness or intentional disrespect? What if it is a function of how God made his mind? 

Of course, he should be willing to make some modifications for you, especially in shared spaces. But you should be willing to make some allowance for how his brain works. Like most of marriage, you need to find a compromise that doesn’t cost either of you too much.

One way to approach this is by saying “I know this is not a problem for you, but it hurts me. Could you be a bit neater for me?”

“Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.” [Proverbs 14:4 ESV]

~ Paul – I’m XY and I’m a messie.

References:

A Messy Desk Is a Sign of Genius, According to Science | Inc.
A messy desk encourages a creative mind, study finds | APA
Messy People Are Really Just Productive Geniuses, According To Science | HuffPost

Image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay
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