Tag Archives: chaos

Cultivating Calm Amidst Domestic Chaos (Hint: It’s with God)

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Ah friends! It has been way too long! I’m not even sure where we left off… but let’s just jump back into it, okay? I want you to imagine something for me. Then we will both be in the same head space to get the point of this weeks muse. So here we go.

Ten baby chicks are in the house still. Tucked in a corner with the red heat lamp glowing even though they don’t need it. Except now they are almost fully feathered “teenagers” who are getting crowded in their little brooder cage. You feel bad, so have to let them out for some free time and to stretch their wings. Bottle baby goats have arrived. Three rambunctious little boys who are running a muck through the living room. They are treating your living room furniture like a playground (and an outhouse). Your five older hens and rabbits have just had their snacks and have been let out for the day. The dog has been fed but is vying for a bite or two of your bagel. Are you there? Okay, so this was me a few weeks ago. Still in my nightgown, sitting on the floor, coffee cup in hand surrounded by messy chicks, running goats and a big goofy lab drooling on my leg (yet unshaven for the warmer weather). As I sat there surrounded by fluffy feathers, drool, and untold messes on the floor that will need to be scraped, scrubbed and mopped for the 5th time this morning, I smiled and mused: What the heck have I done, and how will I ever survive this chaos?!

Yup, that’s me, with coffee cup, on the floor giving baby birds treats!

Did you imagine it? Did you smell, taste and see it? I laughed, not because I found it funny really. Oh, don’t get me wrong — I chose every bit of it. I wanted to be right there. I laughed because it was crazy. I laughed because it was slightly funny, the scene before me. It was funny because I put myself there. I was slightly overwhelmed. Yet, I was happy. And smiled because I was. Perhaps your chaos is not the same as mine. In fact, I suspect most of you do not have the same chaos that I have. Maybe you are that young mom with toys and diapers and a home that is also overwhelming, but in a different way. Maybe you are older and dealing with aches, pains, appointments and a supplement drawer overflowing with ailment aids. Your house is tidier, but your mind is cloudy. Perhaps your chaos is the in between… carpooling, school lunches, technology demands and your mini van has become the home office for calls, fast food and cat naps in the school pick up line. It smells just as nasty as my living room floor with that hockey equipment in the trunk. Oh friend, your chaos may be different than mine, but I am almost positive you can relate.

Does the word “chaos” have a bad connotation in your mind? I’m not sure. I looked it up and the definition seems to have some darkness to it. Maybe I chose the wrong word to describe the feeling I had on the floor that day. I say that because it wasn’t wrong or evil… just, well, chaotic. Perhaps it conveys a “lack of control” when things are just everywhere. Or is it just like the beginnings of earth… a void with no purpose or direction until God came in and breathed life into it? I think that’s the take we see when we think of “biblical chaos”. Or is it the dark sin taking over the world as in Noah’s day where things needed a clean slate and a “start again”? Is my chaos just busyness? A mental health strain that just needs more time? I don’t think it’s evil or sinful. Perhaps my semantics have labeled busy as chaos? Overwhelmed? Whatever — you get it.

Photo by Serge Bardot on Pexels.com

Right now, the house is quiet. Everyone has been fed, cleaned and cared for. The sun is shining. Okay, a hen just walked through the front door… but so far, the floor is still clean. Now the dog is barking. Trust me, it was peaceful a second ago! And it will be again. I guess the point of this post is to say, be encouraged! Life stages are just that: stages. We move around all the time! Faithfulness is so very much an attribute of God I love… because as much as our world changes and life seems crazy and overwhelming and often messy… God is our consistent companion to hold our hand and carry us through to the next thing. Believe it. Trust Him. Smile, with coffee cup in hand and say, “Yup, You and I can handle this God… on to the next adventure!” And now if you’ll excuse me, I gotta go chase a chicken out of my living room…

God Shaped Spaces

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So, my friends, how is your week going? Over here? Well. In addition to the province-wide lockdown and three kids trying to do school from home, the internet decides to crash and burn today, so no one got much done. Parents and teachers are frustrated. My grocery bill is creeping up now that the teenagers are home full time. Our work week has been a crazy-filled mix of Covid restrictions and further precautions…simply adding to the stress. Cases are going up but we are hearing of friends getting shot up (with vaccines that is). Apparently we are in a virus hotspot… or we have too many friends that are old. My house is slightly disastrous as I’ve been trying to catch up on housework, but a persistent sniffle held me back from regular tidying and sent me into panic mode (Do I get tested? Will that inflict a forced isolation on my only remaining co-worker? How many different medications are you allowed to take together to prevent a cold?) Not to mention the puppy is still as crazy as ever and is still sneaking things off the counters. And then, yes, and then…. while dutifully brushing my teeth and flossing well before bed one night last week… boom! a giant chunk of rock popped out of my tooth… an already paid for filling… now sitting in my hand! Thankfully the space left is not painful… just annoyingly present and causing me to aimlessly probe it with my tongue every few minutes. Why do we unconsciously do that when something goes awry in our mouths? It’s like our tongue has a mind of it’s own.

Yet, I am reminded that there are always blessings. Even when we are in the midst of chaos and upheaval … We have a good God who is in control and sees our day to day. We are blessed to still be working and earning steady incomes. The kids eat because we can fill the cupboards without worrying. Our little urban garden seedlings are growing steadily… ready to sprout out in the big, wide world soon. I hear the spring birds call to each other every morning. And the dog is pretty cute most of the time. I really can’t complain about the stage I’m in. Many others are far worse off than our few “inconveniences”.

Still, as I was contemplating this week about how crazy this empty space is in my mouth, my mind began to wander a bit about how often we fill up our God shaped spaces in our hearts. I’ve heard it said that we have a “God shaped” space in the depths of our hearts where only the perfect puzzle piece fits. That puzzle piece is our relationship with our Creator. Like a little signature spot made just for the designer of a masterpiece (that’s you and me, by the way). It’s like this hole in my tooth: we probe it with our mind-of-their-own tongues and unconsciously look for something to fill it with. Perhaps we look for relationships to fill the space. And how many relationships fall apart because they are not the right “fit?” Or wealth? Or the pursuit of education, or keeping up appearances, or fighting for justice, or who knows. So many of us have gapping holes we know need filling, but the fillings eventually just become another hunk of rock and fall out, leaving a blank space.

And so, as I think about all the craziness that has gone on in our house in the last few weeks, and share it here with you, I’m sure you have your own stories to add. Perhaps, like me, you will be graciously reminded that there is a perfect little spot in your heart for God to move into. And once He settles in, you’ll notice a little bit of peace starts penetrating through the darkness of Covid and lockdowns and the crazies of life. He shines a little light in, just enough for you to focus on the blessings each day. Which makes me smile. A filling-less toothy smile, that will have to be fixed soon. Take a number, dentist.