I have been a little quiet recently, as moving house was a tiny bit more stressful than I anticipated. After my painting phase, I have moved onto my redistributing boxes period. Strangely I seem to have more boxes than space. You move one tower of containers from one side of the room to another, only to find that more boxes have mysteriously appeared in their wake. You empty one pile, placing everything in their appropriate place, and you have 7 items for one cupboard, and only 2 for the one beside it. Do you reorganise your labels and definitions? And what do you do with the many miscellaneous items where do they live. Indeed, should they still reside under my roof at all?
This is not the worst problem to encounter in life I admit, but putting things in a manageable order can really help. It is less stressful, more pleasant and good for the soul.
Sometimes it seems important to be organised where possible, to distract us from the lack of control we have in our lives. We want our enviroment to be orderly, so we can pretend that all is well.
Yet in our heart of hearts, we acknowledge the unpredictability of life, of confusion and questionning, of pain and tragedy. There are so many vulnerabilities in our lives- guilt over something from the past, trying to cope responsibly with work pressures, caring for that sick relative. There are things that happen that are unforseen, and which we just couldn’t prepare for.
I remember the verse in 1 Corinthians 14: 33 ‘For God is not a God of disorder but of peace’. This verse is describing worship, but I think it applies to many things. Just as in Genesis, the holy spirit brings form and shape to the chaos and darkness, so God delights in bringing order and peace to our lives. We do need to give the pieces to Him though. So often we try to be independent, to do things in our own strength, working hard to put things in order. God is more gracious to us, than we are to ourselves, and calls us to be guided by Him and to trust. There are still many painful or difficult things in our lives, but knowing that God is our Helper, and that there is hope, makes such a difference.
Gracious God, we stubbornly choose to do things ourselves, working hard, trying our best, seeking to put everything in place. Yet often we dont quite achieve what we hope for. Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. We confess that we are ill equipped to work out our lives on our own, and that we need Your help and guidance, that we are dependent on You. Holy Spirit, please bring order and peace out of the chaos of our lives. Help us make space for You to work, and to know that Your ways are so mych higher than ours. Thank you Jesus, Amen.
An umbrella of healing love 