I’m going to say it: school is starting in just a few weeks. I know, no one wants to talk about it. We are all in denial. Summer flew by. But it’s coming soon and truth be told, it’s causing me a little bit of dread.
There certainly are nice things about having consistent schedules and expectations. And school is important and good and all those positive things. Fall sports kick off and there are fun memories that are made through those. But what I’m feeling negative about is all the chaos and busyness and whirlwind schedules that can overwhelm a heart.
I’ve been reading Sanctuary: Cultivating a Quiet Heart in a Noisy and Demanding World by Denise J. Hughes. It’s really a fitting read to bring into the calendars and must-do’s of the fall season. The emphasis is about finding our sanctuary, our holy refuge, our quiet place in the Lord, even while being surrounded by the loudness and intensity of the modern world in which we live.
When I am pulled in every direction: kids, husband, friends, extended family, church, school, house, etc. etc. etc., and I try to do it all myself, my heart becomes restless. Can you see it now? The exhaustion that comes with trying to keep up with everything and everyone? THAT is what I dread. That is what I want to step away from and find the quiet place for my heart.
So as I look into these two weeks ahead of me, when I know the ease and gentle flow of the summer will come to an end, how do I find that peace in the chaos? I look to the One. In my reading, Hughes has talked about how when my heart and focus are pulled in every direction that is where the worries come. I become distracted, prone to wander, and divided. I can’t keep up with all the things.
Sadly, my frequent choice has been to daydream all the possible results of the chaos of my life. If I think about it, I can be prepared for it, right? I can worry away all of the possible terrible-ness of every item on my calendar, of all the conflict. Wrong. Wandering this path keeps my heart divided and “a divided heart is at the root of all restlessness.”
The root of my peace and hope and security is Jesus. Just Jesus. So rather than letting my mind and heart play through every possible scenario and try to keep track of it all myself, I can bring every single thing to the Lord. This dread I feel? I hand it to Him. The scheduling conflicts and overload? I talk with Him about it. The decisions needed to be made for the kids? I ask Him for guidance. Then I find rest.
I love
this summary in Sanctuary, “How can we stitch together the fragmented
cares and worries of our hearts? We can begin by laying each care at God’s
feet. Today, enter the sanctuary of God’s presence and list the ways in which
you feel stretched right now. Invite God into each of those circumstances. Ask
for wisdom. Then ask God to give you a one-thing heart - a heart that truly
wants only one thing: Christ. Since the old sanctuary in the Bible pointed to
Christ, we find sanctuary when we find rest in Christ’s presence.”
--Sandy Gromacki