Whenever it gets crazy around my house, my son has a classic phrase to let everyone know how it feels: “total chaos.” We smile, laugh, and chill out. It’s so easy to get caught up in something without recognizing how we’re impacting those around us. Our fear-based or anger-based responses can consume us.
Why do we have such strong fight, flight, or freeze responses when life feels like total chaos? Experiencing the feeling of total chaos over a prolonged period of time can become traumatic. The longer we feel stuck in stress-filled circumstances that we have no control over, our bodies shut down and stop working the way they should. Why? Because our bodies were not designed to contain prolonged stress.
How do our bodies respond to total chaos? Our minds won’t shut off. We focus on people and circumstances that we hate and have no control over. We can’t sleep. We have tension and pain stored in “ache zones” so we’ll get the message: “This isn’t good for us. Cut it out!” We start getting “ouchy” with the people around us. We want to be known and loved, but we give people the message “Leave me alone!”
We’re all experiencing crazy circumstances that feel like total chaos. We’re living in isolation although we’re made to live in community. We’re living with people who are driving us crazy. We’re feeling crazy, and sometimes we can’t make it stop.
Prolonged seasons of isolation, chaos, and trauma remind me of the four years of daily harassment that I survived twenty years ago that led to my PTSD. When we feel trapped within craziness, our minds, emotions, and bodies do crazy things. It also exposes our core issues that only God can heal. While God was healing me, I realized that I put myself in those crazy circumstances by exposing myself to hurting people who hurt me and who didn’t really want my help—and I couldn’t make it stop! Our efforts to set boundaries and end the total chaos don’t always work, and we can end up in dark places and question our own sanity and wonder if we’re going to make it.
That’s when we cry out to God like King David did in Psalm 6. “Have compassion on me, LORD, for I am weak. Heal me, LORD, for my body is in agony. I am sick at heart. How long, O LORD, until you restore me? Return, O LORD, and rescue me. Save me because of your unfailing love. . .I am worn out from sobbing. Every night tears drench my bed; my pillow is wet from weeping. My vision is blurred by grief. My eyes are worn out because of all my enemies.
Go away, all who do evil, for the LORD has heard my crying. The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD will answer my prayer.”
God is with us in the chaos of our lives. He calls us by name. He brings new life and light when we’ve had it, and we’re going crazy. He brings hope, and He restores us with His love. He draws us closer to Himself when we’re lonely and when everyone seems so far away.
Have you opened your mind, your pain, your problems, and your heart to God today?
He’s waiting, and He wants you to want Him—more than anything else in all the world.
Hey Glenn, thank you for the blog! It was quite timely. Also, thanks once again for being one of the best promoters of my work!
Jesus bless you, bud.