Peace in the midst of Chaos

It’s 5:45 a.m. I wake up, fully rested, and spend my first few moments with God.  Soft sounds playing in the background, the aroma of coffee permeating through the house.  Taking my time, I sit on the patio, taking slow sips of coffee, watching the clouds, and thanking God for the beauty He has made.  It’s a perfect day, not too hot, not too cold, birds chirping in the distance.  I am feeling refreshed as I begin my day.  It’s a beach day! The water is glistening, the sand is so white.  I have a refreshing dip, I lay on the beach, looking up at the sky, basking in God’s glory displayed in His firmament. 

Sipping on some drinks, having a moment in solitude, or sometimes with my loved ones.  No noise, no chaos, just fun, relaxation, and peace.  We have a scrumptious lunch. We leave, come home in the evening.  There, I found candles lit, a relaxing bubble bath, a glass of wine, soft music in the background.  The environment couldn’t be more calming. It was the perfect day!  

The alarm goes off. It’s 5:45 a.m! Wake up!  It was a dream!  I roll out of bed trying to recreate the perfect day from my dreams only to be met with Chaos.  Kid screaming, work deadlines, people acting a fool, traffic a mess, feeling disheveled, body aching, desperately wanting that peace but can’t grasp it.  I cry out, begging to go back to my dream world, my perfect place of peace, but a faint whisper says, “I AM your peace in the midst of this chaos”.

The funny thing is, we often look for perfection in order to be happy.  If everything goes according to our plan, we feel accomplished.  But accomplishment doesn’t always bring peace.  Another misconception many of us hold is that when we serve God, everything will be okay.  But the Lord never promised a life without trials.  If that was the case then we wouldn’t look forward to our eternal home.  But what He does promise, is that if we look to God we will have peace in the middle of the storm (John 14:27).

Sometimes, God will calm the storm when you cry out, other times He will meet you in the midst of the chaos, reach out His hand, and guide you (Matthew 14). Some storms are meant to shape us.  We, therefore, need to understand that life will have many challenges, raging storms, and is full of chaos. There are mountain tops but there are just as many valleys.  Our emotions cannot mimic a roller coaster and move up and down with every event that happens in our life.  If so, we will be tired, depressed, ready to throw in the towel, miss hearing God and some may wonder if this life is even worth it.  We must practice being still, we must search for peace, which can only be found in Christ. 

Life isn’t about to get any easier. We may have periods of calm, but if we read the word we would know that turbulent times are on the horizon.  However, “JUST BECAUSE, ALTHOUGH, DESPITE THE FACT THAT, EVEN THOUGH”, chaos is always present. There is a hope, there is a peace that can pass all human understanding (Philippians 4:7).  A joy unspeakable that can be present in any circumstance.  A peace and a truth that we can hold on to.  The promise that God will be with us. Psalms 23:4 reminds us that “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for God is with me.”

Again, I will never say finding this peace is always easy and never once do I want you to think, I have that perfect peace each day.  It is a journey I am on constantly. So this is my re-couragement for you and me today.  As that whisper reminded me “God is your peace in the midst of chaos”.  Life will never be perfect, never be easy, and like me, you may need to remind yourself daily that God is your peace. But the beauty you will receive when you experience that peace in the middle, that joy unspeakable, will surpass any trial you may be experiencing or any dream you may conjure up.  Be re-couraged in Christ! Click Here