Finding Calm in the Chaos

What a day!  Finally have made major headway in reorganizing the house again.  A couple of months ago, my eldest daughter's family moved in with us after a job change.  Finding room for 2 families in a single small home has been interesting to say the least.  I am so happy that I had already purged so much of the excess that we had.

Today, they helped me move my treadle sewing machine and a dresser into the bedroom.  The sewing machine had been in the front room, but the space is now needed for my grandson's school desk.  The next thing to be moved will be my antique desk.  Still need to make room for it in my bedroom though.  With a small amount of more work, that will be easily done.  Well, preparing the room will be anyways.  Need to wait for my beloved to be home to help move that heavy desk!  Having the antique furniture is a blessing and a curse.  A blessing in that they hold up over time very well.  A curse when you have to move them about.  I sure don't know how they did it back in the horse wagon days.  All I can think of is the poor horses having to haul the stuff  - even if only from town to the homestead.

One of the most noticeable factors of having purged the excess prior to the household changes is the space we have.  At first, it seemed like barely organized chaos.  We have been organizing everything gradually and now the house is regaining it's open areas again.  It has required a bit of creative thinking, but everything is finding a place in such a way that you would never realize that so much is actually being stored in the home.

The return to a more open feel of the home has led to Little Man being more calm.  Chaos in the home, whether it is clutter or activity, often brings about more meltdowns and sensory problems for him.  I can relate to some extent.  Clutter gets to me also.  I need the calm of an organized house.  Too much mess or clutter tends to overwhelm me.  I lose focus easily in that environment.  I can only imagine what it does to a child with sensory issues.

In thinking about all of the changes that the household has been experiencing, I relate it to our spirit.  If our lives are cluttered with the unnecessary things or chaotic with overly ambitious schedules, where do we find the calm that our spirit needs to commune with the Lord?   Just as a person feels more at peace in an organized home, our spirit feels more at peace when there is a lack of clutter distracting it from the Lord.  Think of it this way.  If you were reading your Bible and praying, would you feel at peace in your surroundings?  Or would you be distracted thinking about the cleaning or schedule that you need to give attention to?  Are you able to truly focus on the Lord and His words that you are reading?  Or are you distracted by chores that need doing?  If you were reading the scriptures and really enjoying the passage, would you be free to continue reading longer than usual?  Or is your schedule so busy that you have to set a timer to avoid missing something on your list of things to do?

Have you ever known someone who only wanted contact with you when they had a moment to spare from their "busy" life?  We have nearly all met someone like that.  They are so caught up in their own life that they don't have time for things or people not at the top of their priority list.  If you are on the receiving end of it, that can become a very hurtful experience.  You extend an invitation to them to visit and the answer is always, "I would love to when I get a chance."  Problem is, often that visit never seems to happen.  I have been on the receiving end of it quite often.  In honesty, I rarely extend an invitation now because of it.  I simply got tired of people not caring enough to call or stop by.  They are happy enough to talk or visit if I am the one initiating the contact.  Yet, they never make the time to do the same towards me.  Being human, I often feel hurt by this and give up trying.  I don't like feeling as though the relationship is one-sided or that the friendship is of such low importance to the other person that they would not notice if I simply stopped contacting them.  Sadly, that has happened.  I stopped contacting people and they never contacted me after wards.  It is as if they hadn't noticed at all.

In thinking about that situation I wonder, how often do I make the Lord feel that way?  He is patient with us certainly.  I think of that picture of Christ standing at the door knocking.  He patiently is seeking to commune with us.  Do we make time for Him?  Do we ever truly seek Him out?  When we do commune with the Lord through prayer or studying His words, are we like a rude visitor who is constantly checking their watch to see if it is time to leave yet?  Or do we spend enough time to really seek His message for that day (or moment) and wait for His answer?