God’s Goodness In Chaos

 

Peace family, when was the last time that your life devolved into seemingly total chaos? If it’s any clue for the state of my affairs, today has been a two-full-mugs-of-coffee-plus-a-full-mug-of-green-tea day!

The beautiful thing about a time like this, is that when God steps in and provides for you, it is so much more obvious that it is He, not us, who truly reigns in our lives! Chaos is an opportunity for us to experience God’s peace and provision in a deeper  way.

I have been going through 2-3 extremely chaotic weeks. In a whirlwind of dilapidation, I got a notice from the HOA for some serious yard work needing to be done, my guest bathroom toilet broke, my kitchen sink faucet broke, my dishwasher broke (and is still broken,) I had to buy all new tires for my car, and to top it all off, a tree fell on my house (my garage door was also broken, but that happened a while back.) Meanwhile, I have three foster kittens running, chewing, and scratching around my house which had to get spayed/neutered, given a special de-worming medication, and a round of vaccines. I’m also babysitting a friend’s cockatiels for three weeks (the kittens are very interested in them), and a Japanese friend and two of her children are staying with me for those same three weeks! All of us have weeks like these, every once in a while.

I have been working very hard to fix the problems and to do a good job at my responsibilities: some of them I fixed for myself, some of them a friend graciously stepped in to help, and some of them, I hired someone to help. Some of them, I am still working through. No matter what has come up, God has provided what I needed. When my appliances break, I can thank him for the ones that are still working. When I am fighting a cold (or maybe allergies?), I can praise him for all of the times that I am usually well. When my tires are ruined, I can thank God for my faithful, old car. When I need two mugs of coffee, I can thank him for creating it. When I can’t figure out a solution to a problem, I can pray and brainstorm. It has been an exercise in trusting God.

Amazingly, though I got less sleep last night than I’ve had in a long time, the peace and presence of God feels so near to me today. I know that I can trust him. I know that He is listening. I know that He is the one who has provided every good thing in my life, and He is providing the means to face every trouble and frustration that comes up. I know that He is using me to do his will, even in my brokenness and limited energy.

Peace family, if you are in the depths of chaos today, hold on! You are going to make it. God is with you. Trust Him and believe that He is good. This season will not last forever, so use it to grow as close to Him as you can. Frustrations never feel like blessings, but you never know what good things God is doing in your life, despite them.