When chaos comes, or we become aware of the mess we are in, we have choices to make. Charge at it, retreat from it, or engage in the mystery.
All the nicely laid out plans had been turned upside down. I had a recipe for life, and now all the measurements and list of ingredients had fallen off the page. It was a mess, chaos.
The question was what to do next.
The word chaos comes from the Greek word khaos – denoting a gaping void or chasm.
You’ve been there, I’m sure.
To varying degrees, we have all faced times when life was disordered, seemingly out of control, messy. It could be a relationship breakup, illness, job loss, a hurting family member or friend. Really anything that shakes your life to the core.
There is also the daily chaos that you walk in. Nothing is ever straight forward. There are always challenges, obstacles, and areas of confusion.
You want to move forward, but you don’t know-how.
You might retreat from the chasm, but it’s still there. In that ‘no – mans land’ of indecision, depression and anxiety stalk around you looking to take you down.
I have found that there are generally three responses to chaos.
Three responses to chaos
Then there is Peter on the mountain when Christ meets with Elijah and Moses. He has to do something. He looks at the chaos and offers to make a tent. Matthew 17:1-4
We do the same. Its easy to make snap judgments, speak when we need to listen, determine how things should be. We act without consideration.
We want to avoid the struggle.
The chaos seems too much, and so we run and hide.
Like Adam and Eve, we gather up a few fig leaves and try to hide our vulnerability and nakedness.
All of the characters above had to come to a place where they engaged in the mystery of the chaos.
Life is not like a crime novel where the mystery is solved and you, the observer, can return knowing that all is well in the world.
Engaging with the chaos involves moving into it and asking questions which may have no clear cut answers.
We enter a dark room. Stoping, we let our eyes adjust to the darkness and try to remember what we know of the layout. We pray for the first glimmers of sunrise.
How to engage with mysteryThe first mention of chaos in the Bible is in the very first verses of the creation poem. It sets the stage for the rest of life.
The earth was without form [formlessness, confusion, unreality, emptiness] and void [emptiness], and darkness [darkness, obscurity] was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering [to grow soft, relax] over the face of the waters. Genesis 1:2 Bible Hub
Over that place of chaos and mystery, God was in a place of softness, relaxed with what was happening. No stressing out.
Gods invite is to become relaxed with mystery and chaos, knowing that something good can creatively come out of it.
We then speak and ask for light to appear.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Genesis 1:3
We speak questions into this chaos, knowing full well that there may be no clear cut answers.
Then we listen for whispers of truth to guide our stumbling. We pray for light to be spoken into darkness. A glimmer we can hold onto.
Mystery and chaos do not have to be feared. In the chaos, there is an invite to trust.
Quotes to considerLife’s not Fair! There is a Mystery to be Known
Only Brave People Come Here – The Place of the Soul
Barry Pearman
Photo by Giga Khurtsilava on Unsplash
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free