COMFORT IN THE CHAOS

By Danelle Carvell
I took a Spring break from blogging, which I'm still enjoying, but something is weighing on my heart that I feel the need to share.  Both my husband and I were feeling a bit defeated and discouraged today with all the things going on in the world.  He has challenges at work and is watching people fall apart as they face so many of life's problems.  I'm frustrated by the constant battle for peace in a world of people so consumed by worldly pleasures and material gain.

I get tired of the doom and gloom I see each day on the news.  I get tired of feeling like I'm losing the people I love to the things of this world.  I get tired of the constant battle to live by faith not by sight.  I get tired of trying to do and say the right thing when others do and say what is right in their own eyes.  I get tired of fighting against the current and sometimes I wonder what good it's doing.  And then sometimes I just get tired of being tired.

Whenever I'm feeling down, I can always count on something coming along to lift my spirits that very same day. God does that for me.   When I went to the mailbox this afternoon and saw the monthly letter from Charles Stanley, I knew there was something in there that would address what I was feeling.  I smiled as I read his letter, which comes to our home free each month.  The letter was about how God sets us free from the problems we face.

"How often do you and I get caught up in an attitude of defeat?  We are overwhelmed by our circumstances because we are focused on our limited comprehension of them instead of the Father's awesome purposes.  Yet if we could see past our imperfect understanding to our extraordinary Redeemer, we would be filled with joy.  Our lives would be radically transformed," said Stanley.

All the bad news we see around us are things that must come to pass.  They are things that God knows about and is in control of.  Staying informed is part of our responsibility, but we don't have to let bad news bring us down because God always succeeds in carrying out his plans.  "Regardless of what you face or how your situation currently appears, the Lord is greater," said Stanley.  "He has conquered the grave and can overcome any problem you encounter.  So continue walking in the center of his will.  He is certain to keep all of His promises to you."

At times I have to take a deep breath, clear my head and remind myself that nothing can separate me from God and any adversity I experience here on Earth is temporary because Jesus has given us eternal life.  It's difficult not to become weary and disheartened in a world that seems to be falling apart at the seams.  More and more I'm hearing of people facing difficult, heart-breaking situations.  I wonder how much worse can things get.  And then God sends a miracle.  A letter in my mailbox reminds me that if I keep seeking God, He will deliver me from every fear, every frustration, every doubt, every challenge.

God is always there.  He knows my every thought.  And if I draw close to Him, He will comfort me and deliver me from painful circumstances.  God's timing is amazing.  The timing of that letter and the subject of it was amazing. It's exactly what I needed to hear.  Who doesn't want that kind of comfort?  Who doesn't yearn for the amazing love and comfort of God?