Organized Chaos

October 16, 2019

Does this picture remind you of your life? It certainly does mine of late! Organized chaos. I even have a t-shirt that touts the phrase “Chaos Coordinator.”

Macmillan Dictionary defines chaos as “a situation in which everything is confused and a mess.”

I think, most of us, operate in this state of being, the majority of our adult lives. We try to cram more than is humanly possible into our over-scheduled days. We constantly fill our spaces with noise, whether it be the TV in the background, the radio blaring in our cars, or audio books spoken directly into our ears through AirPods. 

When we attempt to multitask the multitude of things we’ve piled onto our plates, in addition to all the noise we are inundated with, we cannot possibly, rationally believe we can master any single one of them. We simply exist in a constant state of chaos: a messy and confused situation of being. A life remiss of peace.

Jesus told His disciples, “I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give. It isn’t like the peace that this world can give. So don’t be worried or afraid” (John 14:27 CEV).

The world, and all its things, does not offer peace. It may come “packaged” in a wrapper that would make you believe peace is within; however, true peace is one without worry or fear. Worry of disappointment. Fear of failure. Worry of worth. Fear of disapproval. Worry of capability. Fear of the unknown. 

Worry and fear are never present within peace.

Instead of hiding our cluttered mess by closing our doors, instead of celebrating chaos as a celebrity status, instead of attempting feigned organization of our current situation…my dear friend, willingly hand over that with which we desperately clutch, in order to “save face,” because all we are doing in actuality is building more layers for peace to permeate. 

The more layers, the more time it takes to feel its presence. Peace is a fruit of the spirit He wishes us to feast upon. Peace brings about lasting change. Peace disperses like the warmth of a fuzzy blanket sitting near the fire. Only His peace breaks through the cancer called chaos in our lives, freeing us from its cyclical chains of bondage. 

Chaos is the complete opposite of peace. Why do we keep holding onto the very thing that causes us such strife? Why not dump our drawer full of deception and start anew? Refreshed in His preciously peaceful presence each and every morning until THIS becomes our new state of being! Peace can exist within: ourselves, our family, our home, our community…a place free of stress, worry, fear and chaos. 

This is my desire. Will you join me in daily pursuit of His peace? I don’t want the world’s chaos. Just give me Jesus! Through the power of His Holy Spirit, may we invite Him into any places in our lives where we have tried organizing our chaos instead of handing it over.