We all fixed our plates and sat down to get started. Sounds like everything is going great huh?? Well... about 20 minutes into the video... I decided to pause it and back it up. Only... I started the entire thing over. Then... I tried to fast forward to the right spot. When I thought that I might be close... I pushed "play" only to realize that I needed to fast forward again. Except... when I tried to fast forward again.... I restarted the whole thing for the second time. I decided to just go to the menu and start over. Only this time... we were on the wrong lesson. This happened for about 5 or 10 minutes. It was absolutely ridiculous. Talk about being "technology challenged"!! When I finally got it started over... on the correct lesson... one of our other ladies arrived... I laughed and told her that we held off the video just for her. Whew... surely things had to get better from there.
Wrong!! There we sit... all 8 of us. Two on the couch, three in the floor, two on the love-seat, and one in the queen of all chairs... the recliner. Along with two adult cats, 5 little hungry kittens following their weaning mother around like little ducks... two children laughing hysterically upstairs, (which I must admit... I loved hearing) and about that time.... here comes a weenie dog flying down the stairs, running through the living room with my husband and my daughter on its heels. Now keep in mind... Beth is trying to teach us something from God's Word. Our crazy dog loves one of the ladies in our group... and he was desperately searching for her... but the more my husband chased him... the more he ran. I felt like I was sitting in the zoo. Total chaos. You know... for a few little moments, I could hear the enemy saying in my ear, "you shouldn't even try to do a Bible study here".... "your family and house is like a zoo".... "these ladies are probably thinking that your family is a disaster".
I just looked at those ladies and said, "you know that I love you girls, right??" And I do. I am so blessed by that group of women. I love Tuesday nights... and start looking forward to them again by Wednesday morning.
You know... My God is faithful. He taught anyway. Right in the middle of all of the chaos and noise... He spoke to us about peace. How perfect, huh??? Peace that only comes from Him. It is His to give. According to John 14:27, Peace belongs to Jesus. Romans 8:6 tells us that the key to peace is the Holy Spirit. We must have the Holy Spirit to have real peace. We must have Jesus to have the Holy Spirit. So... there in the middle of my zoo... I had peace. God is not shocked by what goes on in my funny little zoo. He is not surprised that the enemy would try to use that zoo to distract us and discourage me. And I am not shocked that God would choose that very moment to teach us about a peace that defies circumstances.
Right now... there are many circumstances that challenge the peace in my heart. Finances, a wayward angry child, upcoming changes... the list goes on and on. God's desire for us is to have peace. This statement from our lesson stuck out to me... "to the degree that I submit to Christ's authority, is the exact degree that I will have peace". Think that through. If I want to have more peace... I have got to submit to Christ's authority in my life. The more I allow Him to rule... the more peace I will have.
Peace in the midst of the zoo. Peace in the midst of a storm. Peace in the midst of the tears. Peace in the midst of difficult circumstances. Peace... God's peace. I want it. I need it. It is available... anytime I choose to allow Christ to have authority in my heart.
I hope to be back soon with my Yes to God post for this week....
1Peter 3:15
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared in give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
5 comments:
What more can I say but AMEN! my sister.
I want that too! Peace, Peace, Wonderful peace coming down from the Father above.
Love ya ZooMaster
Thanks, Lynn, for your post. Things have been pretty chaotic for me in my home and in my head and peace is what I've been searching for and what has seemed to allude me. I'm better today at this moment and so was able to very much appreciate what you said. I love the object lesson God gave you.
Last week during our Moms In Touch meeting something very similar happened. Here we were trying to pray for our kids and their school and the phone was ringing, the dog barking...just nonstop distraction. But God is bigger than all of it.
Praise His Name. You're a blessing.
Melanie
This is very good, Lynn. How poignant of God to teach you all about peace in the midst of physical chaos in your house.
I love that about the more we willingly seek to seek God, the more peace we will have. We must make it a point to seek to submit to Him and His way.
Thanks Lynn.
I'll be back when blogger says you've posted your YTG study. I posted mine late last night.
Love,
Paula
Glad for your time in study, despite the chaos. We recently finished up our fall study and will do Beth's "Esther" come January.
Yes...God's peace. How many times have I cried out for it in recent history?! I often imagine him radiating through my "doors" even as he did with his disciples in the Upper Room.
He is so willing to be our peace. That I would be better at seeking his portion.
Thinking of you today.
As always~
peace.
~elaine
Oh what a great story. I just pictured this wenie dog tearing through the house.
Glad it all still was a great night.
Carol
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