Surviving Chaos

And these three remain, Faith , Hope, and Love, but the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:13

Freshly returned from a pastors conference last night. If you’ve ever been to a conference before you know that it’s like drinking from a fire hose. These is so much information that comes your way. All the speakers have great insight. All the breakout or seminar speakers have amazing views on topics to make you a better preacher, teacher, pastor…fill in the blank. Then, there are the conversations with fellow ministers who chime in with their thinking and strategy of implementation as soon as they get back to their church. Finally, as I lay quietly in my bed at the end of the day, trying to soak it all in, I have this overwhelming feeling of “How am I going to implement anything I just learned into becoming a more effective minister?” As I mentioned before, conferences like these are like drinking from a fire hose. They’re all well and good, but often leave you drenched, exhausted, and just a bit frustrated.

As I laid in bed last night holding my beloved wife of 20 years, my mind began to drift. I started thinking about all the responsibilities I had the next day; catching up with peopl, reconnecting with my family, and the dreaded “honey do list” of chores I knew was growing by the second during my absence. I thought about the things I wanted to do at the church, the people I know who need to hear about Jesus, and the prayer requests of the saints. With all those voices running through my head no wonder I had trouble falling asleep. So I began to pray.

Unfortunately, at 1 o’clock in the morning, my prayers lack any polish or tact. They often sound like a laundry list of wants and demands. And honestly, it’s surprising God would even want to hear from me when I’m in that kind of mood. But he does and he did hear me. He listened to my bellyaching and complaining. He heard my nonsensical mumbling as I began to talk about all the things close to my heart or weighing on my shoulders. After I was done and completely spent, with no more words left he chose to speak to me. In the silence of my heart and mind I heard Him speak four words of comfort: But there is Hope.

But there is Hope. Four simple words which in the moment brought such comfort and peace. Four simple words containing so much wisdom and impact that they were all I could think about for the next several hours. But there is Hope. God took me on a journey in my mind where he reminded me of all the troubled times in my life, the times when I saw no reprieve or understanding of why things were happening. He reminded me of the frustrations and anger I had experienced, the grief and pain which had tugged at my heart. He showed me the good, bad, and ugly moments and in the end said four simple words; But there is Hope.

After the journey had concluded and all had been said I laid in silence. A peace came over me and I was still. I closed my eyes and began to drift off as the peace of knowing Hope was right around the corner was active and true in my life. But as the final bit of myself gave way, I heard one last phrase: Now share. It’s those words which brings us here in this moment.

My desire in writing is to share my journey with you. I don’t have a lot of wisdom or quotable one-liners to share with you that are my own. My pedigree is that of a Chinese Buffet, a little bit of this and a little bit of that. My career in ministry or otherwise is nothing of significance or fame. All I can offer is four words from my Master: But there is Hope, and the lessons he has taught me along the way.