Shine in the Darkness - Part 1ናሙና

Order

Twenty years ago, my husband and I fostered an 8-year-old girl.  She had suffered emotional and sexual abuse, and we thought all she needed was a loving home!  As hard as we tried, we could not provide what she really needed: order.

She was accustomed to chaos, so within hours of moving into our home, she destroyed her bedroom.  Everything in her dresser was on the floor; her closet became a place to hang like a monkey on the clothes rods until they came out of the wall.  We were incapable of helping her create order out of chaos primarily because our lives were in chaos too!  

We were both working in law enforcement full-time, we were 12 years into our faith, and we had become quite good at living fast-paced, hurried, serving the Lord lives.  We had many commitments at work and at church, and we thought our life was “normal”.  We were loving and able to provide all the comforts this little red-headed beauty could need or want.  What else could she possibly need?

We were told by our foster-daughter’s social worker that she destroys everything around her because she wants her outsides to match her insides so she can feel safe and normal and in control.  

Do your outsides match your insides? Are you feeling like you have no control over what is happening to you?  Are you feeling unsafe or abnormal?

I’d like to suggest three ways to create order from chaos: Stillness, Silence & Solitude.

I love the way The Message addresses this in Matthew 6:6, “Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God.  Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage.  The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.”

A morning rhythm that includes unhurried time in stillness, silence, solitude, prayer, Bible reading, and journaling has become foundational to my ability to navigate the chaos I’m facing today.  I wish I’d known this 20 years ago.

If you need help creating this rhythm in your day, here are a few ideas:

• Start slow – schedule a time and set a reminder on your phone
• Select a quiet place where you can be alone with God every day
• Use the YouVersion Bible App and select a devotional. Consider inviting a friend to join you.
• Consider sitting quietly before the Lord for several minutes using a sacred word as is suggested in the Centering Prayer practice, turning your face towards God’s
• Briefly write your thoughts or prayers in a paper journal or in a digital App like “Day One”

Creating order out of chaos is the product of daily rhythms like this.  It could be a challenge at first, however, I encourage your commitment to it over the long haul, because you’ll recognize, as I have, the control was never yours to begin with…it’s God’s!

Author: Rhonda Jenkins, Director of Host Site Operations - Global Leadership Network