Trust God in the Beautiful Chaos of Life

By Lara Veve

On Monday, I was on the phone with my husband when he pulled up to the gym. He couldn’t believe how many people were there. “This place is crazy,” he said. Maybe all of the moms needed to get out of the house with their kids because some school districts are off today, I thought. It did not occur to us until later that night that it was the NEW YEAR. 2017! Which means another fresh batch of New Year’s resolutions.

I suddenly felt guilty that I was not at the gym that day too. I thought about my own health journey and my goals for this new year. Then I thought about my responsibilities as a mom of three teenagers and how I desire to be more intentional during my time with them. I thought about my husband and how we could spice things up this year. Then I thought about baseball and soccer carpools.  Then work entered my mind and although I am so excited about all that is to come in 2017 for Women’s ministry here at Flatirons, I began to feel anxious and overwhelmed.

Take a few minutes and think about all of the responsibilities you have on a daily basis. 

Maybe you’re a parent, and you have a job, maybe you are trying to accomplish something in your personal life, a fitness goal, maybe you’re in school, maybe you have a professional goal, or you feel God calling you to something different or to make a change.  All of these realities and goals require a certain amount of discipline and responsibility. When the New Year hits, many of us re-evaluate the priorities in life and please hear me, this is a GOOD and HEALTHY action to take! But, like me, does this make you feel anxious?

At times I feel the weight of all of the responsibility I carry on my shoulders. Can you relate? And I’m reminded my struggle to trust God is REAL every year, every day.

Sometimes my responsibilities feel so heavy and overwhelming that the fear of failure and rejection grips my heart. 

I’m wired to believe that accomplishment precedes acceptance and achievement precedes approval. My value is attached to how well I perform, how I am accepted, and how my achievements are met with approval.  

This belief, at times, can be exhausting. A sweet friend of mine, who knew I was struggling, sent me this quote by Jennie Allen that shook me to the core,

"If God wants a thing to succeed, you can’t mess it up. If He wants it to fail, you can’t save it. Rest and Be Faithful." - Jennie Allen

This quote rocked me to my core because it revealed the truth that I was not trusting God. I mean he is indeed the Creator of the Universe and I have a tendency to lose sight of that.

Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still and know that I am God."

How often do we intentionally stop, be still and contemplate that he is God? He’s got this! If we fall short or things go terribly wrong, He’s still got it!

God does not promise that if we follow him, we will never have pain or walk difficult roads or feel overwhelmed with fear. What he does promise is this:

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous, Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” - Joshua 1:9

And he promises,“...for those who love God, all things work together for GOOD for those who are called according to his purpose.” - Romans 8:28

So if he is God, the Creator of the Universe, is with us wherever we go, and works all things for good, then we can trust him and his plan and purpose for our lives.

We can lean on HIS strength when we feel the weight of our responsibilities or exhausted and overwhelmed. He’s got this. We just need to be praying that HIS voice is the loudest voice we hear in the midst of the beautiful chaos of life. Rest and be faithful with the responsibilities and the kingdom he has entrusted to us.

.

Lara is the Women’s Ministry Director at Flatirons Community Church. Lara and her husband Eric have been married for 17 years and they are parents to three teenagers. As you can imagine life is busy at the Veve household, but they embrace the beautiful chaos of life during this season.