Saturday, November 29, 2014

The Chaos of Life

I have learned that life can get in the way of, well, life. Intentions get shoved to the wayside. Plans end up in a heap of crumbled papers in the garbage can. Chaos claims the crown.

On the other side of chaos reigns absolute organization. Smooth sailing right into the sunset. The only problem with being Captain Organize & sailing on the USS Organized Sloop is staring into the bright horizon & becoming blinded by neatly ordered shelves & stacks.

Organization is great, if it doesn't interfere with life. I want my life to be arranged, labeled, color-coded & straightened. My life is rarely in complete order. Just when I think that I have a meal planned out, the situation changes. One phone call. Boom. Done. The chicken that was thawing for supper. Not tonight.

But isn't this what life is about? Change. Taming the chaos. Chaos is rarely kept in order. Take this case as a proven point: Chaos is everywhere. There is nothing but chaos, except for God. He is the controller of it. He commands it into order. Earth takes shape. Light & darkness. Sun, moon & stars. Dry land. Waters in their place. Animals in their respected species & places. Last, humans.

"God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day." - Genesis 1:31

Very Good. When was the last time you looked at something & said, "That's very good,"? Dang near perfect. Until chaos crept in. That sneaky snake brought chaos in the organization that God made.

It kinda, on a very insignificant scale, reminds me of when I clean a room. It looks great. I walk away to take a break. I've deserved it, right? The children sneak in & undo all that I worked hard to achieve. I sometimes yell at the kids. I sometimes go to my dark room to sulk. I sometimes call a friend to complain. But what did God do about the mess that the snake & humans made?

He passed judgment on the offending parties according to the offense. After that He made a plan. He didn't pout.

What can I learn from this event? I can't command the chaos in my life. I t is just a part of it. The only thing that I can do is make a plan to recover from the windfall. There is love & hope around the corner of dawn waiting for me.

"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life." - Psalm 143:8

That's where I want to be. In the rising light. Every morning. I need to be in the light with my family. To teach them that God's love is unfailing.