by Elizabeth Haarberg

Finding rest for our souls in the chaos of life

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

Life is messy. I gravitate between thinking how God has blessed me and how hard life is here on Earth.

Raising kids is especially humbling. Just when you think you’ve mastered patience and self-control two of them are yelling and hitting one another, for the 15th time in an hour.

I usually either want to pull my hair out, find a quiet place or drive away for a little while.

When I let God rest in the situation I can experience His peace in the situation and let Him invade the chaos.

This is a choice, though. We get to choose the earthly way or heavenly direction. Because we are born again, we are residents of both heaven and earth. Where is my foot going to land today?

“For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: ^‘Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread.But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. And he will become a sanctuary…'”
Isaiah 8:11-14

When God is our sanctuary no one can invade our peace. That’s a goal of mine.

Neal Armstong said after his crew landed on the moon, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Every time we step into heaven, it’s one less time that I choose to respond to the world.

How does this happen in our everyday life? How do we choose heaven over earth? It’s by being still, not on the outside but on the inside and continuing to practice this internal stillness. By asking the Holy Spirit for peace and strength and becoming a good receiver of God’s amazing gifts this will become our norm instead of an unusual event.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado