Peace in Chaos

  I have a compilation of thoughts for you tonight friends.  Albert Einstein said, "Out of clutter find simplicity; from discord find harmony; in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity."  Profound statements if you consider them.  After all, it's easy to be at harmony when there is no discord, and it's easy to see opportunities when there is no difficulty.  But that is seldom the case in our lives.  Often our lives are a swirling ball of busyness and chaos which can send us spiraling down a path of confusion, anxiety, and frustration.
  I was struck with a thought on this the other day.  My son has oppositional defiant disorder as well as attention deficit disorder, and as a result, my house is never still.  There is noise and yelling and things flying all the time.  Finding a single sane, quiet moment is nearly impossible.  Mornings in particular are especially trying.  One morning last week, I had grown tired of the screaming and arguing, and I had gone in my room and shut the door to try to recollect myself.   I sat there listening to the three dogs squabbling, my son running around the house slamming toys off the floor and yelling at the top of his lungs, and I thought, "How can I find peace in the midst of this?"
  And then a still small voice came through to me.  True peace is only found in the storm.  I thought of the famous painting of a mother bird, sheltering her babies under her wings in the cleft of a rock while the storm rages all around them.  You see, Christ said, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."  (John 14:27)  The world wants to show us pictures of serene scenarios as our only examples of how to live in peace.  And while a quiet get away can have wonderful rejuvenating effects, we have to realize that true peace can be found in the midst of our mess if we look to the One who gives it.  Like the small birds in the storm, our circumstances do not determine our peace, rather, knowing who's wings we rest under does.  "He will cover you with His feathers; under His wings you will find refuge."  (Psalm 91:4a)
  Today, as you face the storms of life, do not let the outer chaos determine your inner peace.  Focus yourself on the One who is constant, and who holds the power to still the wind and waves.
I can't wait to see you succeed.

~K.W.