My wife recently had a video recommended to her that dealt with chaos and conflict management. She and I both enjoy the psychological connections between ideologies and behaviors so she was sharing her key takeaways from the video. One of those takeaways was the fact that Christians should not runaway or be afraid of chaos. Instead, we ought to see it as an opportunity to bring about order and goodness. That triggered me to share something from Genesis that I’d like to share with you.
It is remarkable as you study the Bible to find that so many principles and ideas are packaged right in the very beginning. When we read that God made us in His image, we can glaze past that assuming it simply means we look like Him. There’s a much bigger idea there. Briefly stated, God made us in His image to be His image bearers so that when other people and creation see us, they would ultimately be seeing God. We were designed to be displays of God and to work alongside Him. This is why idolatry was such a big no no. We are the idols that bear His image. If we were to make and serve other idols we would be replacing God and also losing sight of who we are. I’ll sum it up this way, God designed us to partner with Him and to continue His work.
Now, you know the old adage, “Like father, like son.” There are so many things that God has equipped and enabled us to do in a very similar, if not identical, way to how He does things. Dealing with chaos is one of those things. In the beginning we read that the earth was formless, void, and chaotic. While chaos can be very unappealing, God gravitated toward the chaos. We read in Genesis 1, that His Spirit came to where the chaos was and hovered over it. Then God begin to speak. Notice that God spoke the opposite of what was present. Darkness covered the earth so God said, “Let there be light.” Day by day, God took something chaotic and turned it into something beautiful.
As dads, we are destined for chaos. Kids are unruly, wild, and a little crazy at times. You will find chaos in your home, at the store, while eating at the restaurant, and while driving in the car. You’ll even find it when you are at a special place for your kids to have fun. These chaotic moments are not supposed to scare you, they are supposed to inspire you. You should see the chaos and see an opportunity for something beautiful to happen. When things get chaotic in your home, be present in the chaos. Rise above it but be present. Then identify what is absent and speak it. Maybe your kid is injured, speak healing. Maybe your kid is angry, speak peace. The last thing to remember is patience. God did not bring order in a single day, He took six. Give yourself time and stick with the process.
Chaos is an opportunity for you to create and it is in your nature to do so. It might seem like an overwhelming task but it is a task you were designed to overcome.