Simply Chaos!

I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart.  
And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.  (John 14:27)

Last Monday, we closed the offices, handed out work assignments, and as a team, cleaned our headquarters from top to bottom.   This is the third time we have held what we call "Projects Day," and everyone looks forward to it.  It's a complete change of pace, and it's a chance to bring a little order to what might otherwise become chaos rather quickly.  Furthermore, once the assigned areas have been cleaned and organized, everyone can go home early.  Whoopee!!

Two cabinet women sweeping Kenyan style

After thanking the staff with a cup of tea, Ken jumped into his vehicle to make an overnight trip to Nairobi, and I went home for a quiet evening.  But just as I was settling down for the night, one of our drivers called to inform me that there was rioting in the streets of Kakamega.  He asked that no one leave the compound, and while I felt perfectly safe (this Mama is well-protected), I prayed all night long for our people in the midst of that chaos.

The next morning, national newspapers reported that the local university would be closed indefinitely. Apparently, university officials had told the students they could not take their exams if they had not paid their school fees in full. This produced an angry mob, which soon brought out a large police force, which used tear gas on the students. Sadly, there were countless injuries, extensive property damage, and three deaths.  So we'll be feeling the effects of that night in our little town for some time to come.

Students vacating Masinde Muliro University 

The next night, I was particularly eager for Ken to get home.  Unfortunately, he got caught in a bad rainstorm, which turned the roads into quicksand.  And wouldn't you know it?  The battery on his mobile phone was low.  Ken has always pledged not to drive at night, but this time he had no choice. So when he finally drove up, I threw open the door and blurted out, "I am so mad at you for making me worry!"  But before he could respond, I just threw my arms around him and thanked the Lord for his safe return.

The next morning, I discovered a family of very unattractive spiders living in our pantry, the local ATM machine ate Ken's card for no reason, and more of our Kenyan family members fell ill with typhoid and malaria.  Everything in my life, it seemed, had suddenly become very chaotic.

But this shouldn't surprise me.  Order does not come naturally.   After all, isn't God's role in bringing order out of chaos one of the most prominent themes of the Bible?

CS Lewis wrote:

God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself,
 because it is not there.  There is no such thing!  

With effort, we can bring order to our homes and offices.   But when we are overwhelmed by the chaos around and within us, it is only Christ that can bring peace. Thank you, Lord, for reminding me of that.