Quick...who is the top creative in your field? 

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Here’s how God describes his relationship to us: I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters. (2 Corinthians 6:18)

I grew up believing those in top leadership roles got there through their proven courage, wisdom, humility, and integrity. If only that were true.  

Chaos talks a good game. But where creation is proactive, chaos is always reactive.

How should we view our creativity in times of growing chaos? When the world is unraveling, does it even make sense to spend time on our art…or would it be better to set it aside until things calm down? Of all the things we could be doing at this moment, is our creativity relevant?

Some people see a puzzle as a jumbled box of chaos. It’s really a box of expertly created order separated into five hundred pieces. We’re invited to bring order to it. But we have to see past the mess of pieces—to the larger image—to do so.

Here’s a great reminder on Halloween, a day of darkness celebrated even by many believers.

How do we not let chaos in? These three practices are a good start.

When the Creator of stars, stallions, and sunsets offers to reveal marvelous, great, unsearchable, and remarkable things to us (see Jeremiah 33:3), this generosity should set our hearts racing. Our human limits no longer matter. The previously impossible is more than possible with God.

God’s offer to grant wisdom beyond our own understanding appears to be based on our desire to pursue life with him.

We often view chaos as an impersonal force that plays out with the same generic implications for anyone in its path. Natural disasters, recessions, and viruses impact millions at once. And these things certainly have an impact on you.

I tend to call out to God only after I’ve exhausted every effort trying to overcome my own icebergs. Not a smart strategy. Kind of like driving through the car wash with my window down.

I want to give you some timely encouragement for what you’re facing at this very moment.

God sees you and he’s for you in the midst of your current battle against chaos.

Mythically speaking, this world is like a sea filled with looming dragons and icebergs. We’d be fools to count on smooth sailing. Some of the icebergs will shake us. Some monsters will stalk us. Our vessel will suffer some damage. Anyone who says otherwise is either clueless or selling false assurances.

Imagine you’re on a ship and the captain suddenly announces, “We’re about to hit an iceberg!” That’s accurate information, but it stirs panic rather than hope.

I found myself wondering why God didn’t give us more advance warning about the chaos that was coming at us. I mean, if only he had, things would be so much better.

My daughter was having a really hard day. She wasn’t in a good mood. I came downstairs while she and my wife were having one of those kitchen conversations that was heading toward a disagreement before escalating into an argument. I caught enough of the back-and-forth to know what the issue was. And I found the swirling chaos around them wanting to snag me as well.

A while back, my wife pointed out something no one wants to hear. She was incredibly kind, but her words packed a punch. “Allen, you’re fine when things are calm. But you don’t do so well when chaos hits.”

Ouch.

How does it look to let chaos in? It usually begins with unhelpful self-talk. We let toxic thoughts enter in. Then we nurture them by repeating them and living as if they’re true.

Whatever the storm is—it begins outside of you. But it doesn’t want to stay outside. It’s looking to get in. Into your head. Into your heart.