Finding Your Calm in the Chaos
Life can be overwhelming at times. We are constantly bombarded with situations and people that demand attention: jobs and co-workers, marriages and family, homes and creditors.
And that's just the basic stuff. Turn on the TV and you are hit with riots and wars, economic uncertainties, child abduction and enslavement. Go outside and you see the young mom or dad battling cancer, the foster children constantly looking over their shoulders, and the homeless digging through the dumpster trying to find something to eat or sell.
How do you keep your focus amidst the chaos? Jesus gave us the key in Matthew 10:16: "See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves, so be as wise as serpents and innocent as doves."
"Innocent" in that verse means unmixed, free from evil and guile, simple (Thayer Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament). There are many needy people and downright evil things in the world, and we are called to go out and live in it to display the light and life of Christ.
But we aren't to allow it to enter and live in us - we are to remain innocent, unmixed. Yet it can be so easy to allow others' hurts to start weighing heavily on us, suffocating our joy. How do we keep that simplicity Jesus commanded?
We face people's pain head-on with the power and love of Christ. We weep with those who weep. We go to war on their behalf, unafraid to get messy and bloodied. Then we run to God and allow Him to wash us with His Word and presence until our innocence, our joy and simplicity, is restored.
This might happen weekly, daily, or even hourly. Eventually you learn wisdom is listening for God and following His rhythm. You move when He says move, you speak when He says speak, and you rest when He says rest.
Take some time to stop and listen today. You may find you've let some "mixture" happen. If that's the case, you know what to do. Run to Jesus, and do it quickly. Don't let pride and self-reliance reassure you that you're fine. The Kingdom of God - and the world - needs you innocent.
And that's just the basic stuff. Turn on the TV and you are hit with riots and wars, economic uncertainties, child abduction and enslavement. Go outside and you see the young mom or dad battling cancer, the foster children constantly looking over their shoulders, and the homeless digging through the dumpster trying to find something to eat or sell.
How do you keep your focus amidst the chaos? Jesus gave us the key in Matthew 10:16: "See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves, so be as wise as serpents and innocent as doves."
"Innocent" in that verse means unmixed, free from evil and guile, simple (Thayer Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament). There are many needy people and downright evil things in the world, and we are called to go out and live in it to display the light and life of Christ.
But we aren't to allow it to enter and live in us - we are to remain innocent, unmixed. Yet it can be so easy to allow others' hurts to start weighing heavily on us, suffocating our joy. How do we keep that simplicity Jesus commanded?
We face people's pain head-on with the power and love of Christ. We weep with those who weep. We go to war on their behalf, unafraid to get messy and bloodied. Then we run to God and allow Him to wash us with His Word and presence until our innocence, our joy and simplicity, is restored.
This might happen weekly, daily, or even hourly. Eventually you learn wisdom is listening for God and following His rhythm. You move when He says move, you speak when He says speak, and you rest when He says rest.
Take some time to stop and listen today. You may find you've let some "mixture" happen. If that's the case, you know what to do. Run to Jesus, and do it quickly. Don't let pride and self-reliance reassure you that you're fine. The Kingdom of God - and the world - needs you innocent.
Comments
Post a Comment