Waves tumbled and crashed against the massive ship as I peered over to watch them dance. It was amazing, really, that I could gaze upon such a dark, mysterious body of water completely fearless despite the seeming restlessness that plagued the water just decks below me. Certainly, simply observing turmoil under the blanket of night is much different than being enveloped within it but from the perspective I gained from the breezy balcony, the waves were not just in chaos — they were in ORGANIZED chaos. Something clicked in my mind and the more I watched the waves, the more beautiful it became to me. Water could be forced into submission and every cubed centimeter of its mass given a specific direction, but it’s not. It is allowed the freedom to fall, stumble, and sway whichever way it pleases under the heavy gusts of wind it endures during the dark times of night. The ocean would not be the ocean if it were controlled. We find ourselves lost in the magnificence of the water because of the nearly unfathomable power that it holds. The waves seem to have a mind of their own and it intrigues us. How is it that the same water that holds and disguises our most feared nightmares can also bring a calming experience we long after nearly every warm season?
Peace is not the absence of chaos but rather the beauty found within it.
The Creator of those restless waves is the Creator of our souls and He has beautifully orchestrated chaos into our lives with the intent that we will cling to Him and find His peace within the dark of the storm. The thing is, like the waves, we have the freedom to fall, stumble and sway whichever way we please under the heavy gusts of wind as we endure during our darkest nights. When we choose faithfulness in times like these, we will come to find that the restlessness in our hearts and the constant strain it takes to fight the current will be gone. We simply fix our eyes on the One who created the waves and become suddenly free to enjoy the beauty completely fearless of the water around us. We don’t need to see the end. We need only to see this moment and the Sovereign hand that holds us within this moment. We must CHOOSE to trust the One who has held us this far. He sees this storm from His own balcony view and He sees that fragile glimmer of sunlight peeking across the waves that we can’t yet.
It’s beautiful, isn’t it?
Breathe my friend, there is freedom near and hope looming ahead beyond the sunrise.
The Chappell Tribe 