Finding God in the Chaos of Your Very Full Life
Winter sunlight sings her silver song, and I throw on the heavy parka, make the long walk through biting air, and pour warm water into silver bowls. The beagles lap it up while I stare at the glowing firmament and think about finding God in the chaos of a very full life.
Finding God Amid the Noise
The old hen squawks from the coup about the egg she’s birthing in the hoary glow. I can’t help but think we’re all birthing something that hurts in this season where darkness holds out long arms into afternoon hours.
The air stings my face as I gaze heavenward and breathe, listening to the hollow sound of this one life still living, this one heart synchronizing with the terrestrial thrum of a resting earth. I could use this kind of rest.
Is this the secret for finding God in the chaos when your world grows so loud you can’t hear your own heartbeat? Step into the silence and slow the pace long enough to catch your breath?
I can’t help but think of Jesus’ parents when they lost him at the temple as a boy.
It’s all-too-easy to get caught up in the current of what’s happening around us and forget all about him, isn’t it?
The Spaces We Expect to Find God
Every day, I go to the window at dawn and watch chickadees prance across the railing of the deck. This is sacred space, holy ground. It’s the place my soul finds rest. It’s the spot where I daily open the Living Word and lift the prayers that carry me through my days.
When I sit by this window, the sense that God is with me is palpable. In the quiet, I become aware of his presence in a way that’s entirely replenishing to my soul. When I think of connecting with God, I think of this quiet space by the window with the chickadees.
I imagine you have your space too. It might be a certain chair where you drink coffee and begin your day with the Lord, a candle-lit sanctuary where you go to pray, or the Adirondack chair in your backyard where you watch the sun sink low. You swear you can almost feel the breath of heaven against your skin in this quiet place.
When You Need Help Finding God in the Chaos
This morning, three hours after my brief moment by the window, I find myself buried beneath a stack of kindergarten math papers as I attempt to sort them by page number (and I wonder whatsoever possessed us to rip them out of the workbook in the first place).
There’s a six-year-old struggling through phonics games on the laptop beside me while concurrently eating his lunch. A ten-year-old is making requests for cinnamon toast from the living room. All the while, the little one is literally sitting on the table chewing on an unsharpened pencil.
In the midst of it all, the phone rings. It’s a recorded message from the superintendent of the school district. He’s calling to share the latest news. Due to an increasing number of Covid cases in the district, we will be extending this week of remote, at-home learning for at least another week. Great.
The instant I set down the phone, it rings again. This time it’s the kindergartener’s speech teacher seeing if now is a good time for a Google Meet speech lesson.
No, I tell him. No, it’s actually not a good time at all.
He says we can try again tomorrow. I thank him, hang up the phone, and attempt to breathe.
The Secret to Finding God in the Chaos of Your Life
Do you feel like you’re juggling more than you could possibly handle? Does your life feel overwhelmed and way too busy? Let’s talk about finding God in the chaos.
What is the secret for finding God in the chaos of our lives?
I believe we make it a regular practice to do exactly what I did on my way to tend to our animals. We pause and breathe. We remind ourselves that God is just as present in the chaos as he is in the quiet.
The more we practice this kind of mindfulness, it will become routine. As it becomes routine, we will learn how to find God in the midst of the moments when our lives feel most out of control, overwhelmed, and stressed.
We will learn to pause, breathe, and look heavenward.
You might be breaking up the tenth fight of the day between your kids. You might be drowning beneath your to-do list at work. There might be five various “emergencies” calling for your attention in this single minute.
Remind yourself of this: God is just as present in the chaos as he is in the quiet, sanctuary moment. He is just as eager to connect with you, transform you, and speak to you in the chaos as he is in the quiet.
Finding God in the Chaos Happens When You Keep Your Eyes Open
Your role is to keep your eyes and heart open to him.
Song of Solomon 4:9 reminds us what happens when we pause and glance heavenward: Every time we so much as look toward Jesus, we captivate his heart.
Song of Solomon 4:9 reminds us what happens when we pause and glance heavenward: Every time we so much as look toward Jesus, we captivate his heart. #findingGod #ravishedheart Click To TweetYou hold the power to captivate the heart of Jesus. All you have to do is glance in his direction.
Are you ready to find God in the chaos?
Pause. Breathe. Glance. It’s an open invitation. 
A Free Devotional to Help You With Finding God in the Chaos of Your Life:
Would you like less stress and deeper peace in life? My gift to you today is my free online devotional Unrushed: Slow Your Pace and Embrace the Fully-present Life. This is a powerful journey into a life that is more present, more fully lived. Click here, and I’ll send this free online devotional to your email inbox!
These two books are free on Kindle Unlimited or available to purchase in print:
Lean Into Grace
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
Calling all moms and daughters!
Additionally, my 12-year-old daughter, Bekah, and I wrote a mother-daughter devotional book to help mothers and daughters grow closer together while connecting with God. Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith includes 60 devotions with Scripture, commentaries from both of us, conversation starters, and even a shared journaling section. Multitudes of mothers, daughters, mentors, and younger women are being transformed by this book! You can buy your paperback or get your free Kindle Unlimited eBook on Amazon right here.
