When Chaos Surrounds Us

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When too many things start spiraling out of control around us, it's hard to know how to respond to so many crises. Foremost is everyone's mind right now is the coronavirus  lives around the world and will continue to wreak havoc until a safe vaccine is found. There's also the climate crisis which continues to melt ice in the polar regions causing the deaths of many species as well as changes in weather patterns responsible for hurricanes, flooding, tornadoes, and forest fires. Then there's the political disaster whirling around us that is creating antagonism, disunity, and  terror.

 Where do we find hope and peace in this chaotic atmosphere? We certainly can't close our eyes and wish it all to go away. Nor can we wait for other people to do something to solve the problems. Each one of us has to roll up our sleeves and become part of the solution.Whether it's volunteering at a food kitchens, making masks, teaching literacy, urging people to vote, reaching out to the homeless, praying for God's protection, showing women how to survive, or making sure children are fed and safe. There are a thousand ways to make the chaos a little less in our area of the world. We also need to practice self-care to keep from being overwhelmed. 

 I often  think of poor Job who lost everything in his life: his family, his home, his livestock, his health, his friends. Everyone tried to tell him to repent and ask for forgiveness, but Job had done nothing to cause his terrible fate. Yet he did not despair and turn away from God. 

We need to trust in God's goodness which surrounds us amid the turmoil. We see it in the health care workers and researchers, the farmworkers and food providers, the consolers and caretakers, the environmentalists and scientists. Disregard the doomsayers and be a bit of sunshine in the darkness around us. We can encircle our world with love.