Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Order vs Chaos

The new kitchen floor was long overdue. There is not much I dread more than the disruption of renovation, but this had to be done. For more than a week, most of my downstairs has been one big jumble. There has been a very narrow, winding path to the coffee pot and the 'fridge.   Every countertop covered with the detritus of the project, there has been no room for chopping or slicing. For one who uses chopping, basting, and sautéing as therapy and a way to unwind after a difficult day, it has been especially hard. 

I generally have multiple projects in various stages underway at any given time. It's not unusual for me to keep those projects at hand for easy access, so a degree of clutter is not unexpected, but this has been tough, even for me. As the days have dragged on, I have become more and more unsettled by the project and the chaos, and more unhappy with any disorder at all in the rest of my environment. 

Today, at last, Bill the Magnificent completed the work, but there was still considerable clean up remaining. I worked steadily for several hours this evening. All of a sudden, I realized I just needed to take some boxes back to the storage building and I'd be done. What a relief! Everything that could be done tonight was done. 

Maggie and I settled into my big green chair for a quick snuggle and I thought, "I am not a woman who can take this much chaos." Oddly enough, what immediately came to mind is that we do not serve a God of disorder, but of peace. That is exactly how I have felt. I can't take the disorder and I have craved peace. It sure didn't seem like it at the time, but that building unhappiness in me as a result of the turmoil here at home was really a God-designed emotion. We were created in the image of the One who is a God of order, and chaos is not our home. Isn't that an interesting thought? There is much to ponder in that. 

Peace. Isn't that a lovely word? The new floor is good, but a return of peace to my home... That makes all the difference!

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