Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Godly Chaos And Mayhem


About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.

When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger!  Luke 15:14-17

So while on vacation, there are always these moments of chaos and mayhem.  For me, it’s when the grandchildren in Georgia come into the picture.  Four of them.  They are filled with exuberance and joy.  This should be a time of happiness for my wife and me … when I see it coming.  However when my wife says those infamous words, “Sure, they can spend the night,” and I am not consulted, welcome to chaos and mayhem.  I am no fan of these types of surprises.  However, I am yet thankful for all of them; my wife included. J I could be alone, unloved, unemployed, or with a multitude of things to be concerned with.  However, God has blessed me with this vacation where wife and children control my day.  What would my world be like without them?

We should always have gratitude for the life God has provided us.  I recently got additional insights from today’s verses from the book of Luke.  We always focus on the story of the Prodigal Son’s ungrateful ego in the beginning and humble return.  In reading to the point of his epiphany, we see a man destitute without hope.  He has nothing to look forward to or count on.  This is what a world without God looks like.  No one to trust and with no to care for you when you have nothing.  Many who choose to leave the world through suicide live in this kind of world, and this is heartbreakingly sad.  However, we DO have an awesome God.  It is the same God that when Jonah was angry with God and filled with despair, He did not desert him.  He provided shade for comfort (Jonah 4:6).  This is a reminder of who God is; a merciful who when we see nothing but despair provides us hope.  He is ever present and always there.  Furthermore, He has given us this wonderful life that in good times and bad we are to be forever grateful for.

We are to embrace life.  Not complain.  Jesus said, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)  Thus, is there room for us to either complain or be ungrateful? Would we prefer a world that the Prodigal Son found himself in?  Let us be as Paul said, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)  What circumstances can you give to God?  How can you be remindful of the world God has blessed you with?  My prayer is that we can be thankful of the joy God gives us even amidst chaos and mayhem.  Amen.

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