TOS001 Finding Peace When Time Causes Chaos
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First of the series “Working Through the World’s Chaos to Find Supernatural Peace”. What’s in your heart? Supernatural peace? Or chaos? Too often we can get caught up in a negative attitude and complaining. We want others to know about the half empty glass and accuse others of being the culprits of emptying it. Anxiety causes chaos. Anxiety and stress can make you physically sick. Jesus tells us it can affect our spiritual well-being too. St. Paul knows we can get our mind off our worries by counting and speaking our blessings and joys.
What’s in your heart? Supernatural peace? Or chaos? We seem to be living in a fairly chaotic time, don’t we! This is nothing new. As we read through the bible we can find several times that the people of God lived in chaos. We can pull some great advice from the bible’s inspired writers. Paul wrote to the Philippians during a time of turmoil in the early Church, a time of persecution and during the chaos of change and growth. His advice in Philippians Chapter 4:4-9 is: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!” NAB
“Rejoice always”–what can bring us joy always? There are lots of things that bring us a moment of joy, but Paul tells us to rejoice always! We can rejoice in the good news of truth; we can rejoice that the happiness of eternal life can be now for us. Now and always! Paul continues in his letter to the Philippians: “6 Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. 7 Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” NAB
The peace that surpasses all understanding—that part sounds wonderful. Peace will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus! But, how do we have no anxiety at all? Come on, Paul; tell us how to do that! We know that anxiety is bad for us. Anxiety causes chaos. Anxiety and stress can make you physically sick. Jesus tells us it can affect our spiritual well-being too. Jesus spoke about the effect of anxiety when He explained the parable about the sower and the seed in the Gospel of Mark 4:14-19. Jesus explains that the seed is the Word of God. Seed scattered on hard ground, on hardened hearts, is scooped up by Satan. When Seed—the Word of God- is sown on rocky ground it is heard and received at once with joy. But rocky ground has no depth; the people have no root; they last only for a time. Jesus explains that the Word of God, the seed, sown among thorns are another sort. They are the people who hear the word of God, but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches, and the craving for other things intrude and choke the word, and it bears no fruit. Anxiety is one of the thorns, the chaos that chokes the Word of God from bearing fruit in our lives.
Paul offers help to overcome anxiety as he continues his letter to the Philippians with the wisdom of God, to concentrate on the good in our lives. He writes: “ 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” NAB
Paul knows we can get our mind off our worries by counting and speaking our blessings and joys. Too often we can get caught up in a negative attitude and complaining. We want others to know about the half empty glass and accuse others of being the culprits of emptying it.
Instead of complaining, try to say something positive about the situation, some blessing that might come forth.
I recently saw a cartoon about a scoutmaster returning from taking 50 rambunctious scouts on a long, rough, rainy hike. He praised the hike by saying, “And we got all the way back with at least 47 of them! Now that’s putting a positive spin on things!
The Catechism of the Catholic Church quotes Paul’s scripture and calls us to live a life of virtue. Paragraph 1803 repeats Philippians 4 verse 8 “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” The Catechism then teaches us about virtue: A virtue is a habit to do good. “A virtue is an habitual and firm disposition to do the good. It allows the person not only to perform good acts, but to give the best of himself. The virtuous person tends toward the good with all his sensory and spiritual powers; he pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions.” Paul continues to instruct us in verse 9: “Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you.” NAB
What had the Philippians learned by listening to Paul? The Good News of Jesus Christ! What had they seen in Paul? Paul, who worked two jobs of evangelist and tentmaker, who carried scars from being beaten and shipwrecked–what did they see in Paul that they wanted?
Paul who was in and out of prison, whose traveling companions abandoned him, who had no home to stay in but relied on the kindness of strangers for food and lodging–what did they see in Paul that they wanted? The peace! The peace that surpassed all understanding!
“9 Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me.”
… [Listen to the podcast of “Finding Peace when Time Causes Chaos” for more…]
But sometimes we get off track. Time itself causes Chaos in our lives, and we seem to lose the peace that God offers us. There are 24 hours in a day, that’s 1,440 minutes. 86,400 seconds in a day. You have a lot of decisions on spending those 86,400 seconds each day. My advice to you is to choose to spend them on finding eternal joy and peace.
At this moment, somewhere in the world the day is dawning. A new day and time for the Children of Promise, the people chosen by God to be his own. What do you want? Why are you spending your time here listening to this talk? Do you want the happiness of eternal life? It can be now in our moments of each day—Jesus prayed “My Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven”. We pray the same thing each time we say the Our Father.
Paul spoke truth. The truth sets us free if we would but embrace it. Fear, self-ness, busyness—these things interfere with true peace and joy. The peace that surpasses is the peace that comes from God—from God alone. The world shouts down the holy and thus cuts off our eyes and ears and toes. The world cuts off our ears and prevents us from hearing Gods voice. It cuts out our eyes–it blinds us from truth. Things are distorted in the dark where we don’t get the whole picture. What we see is a distorted view not of what is but what is purported to be. Fake news is a term that says black is white and white is black. Eventually we agree with the distortion and it becomes our reality. The world cuts off our toes to make it difficult to walk in the way of the Lord as it throws us off balance. But a new day is dawning where eyes will be opened and ears will hear the truth and it will set us free and our path will be made straight. Life comes together when you open your eyes and ears and listen and watch the rhythm God has set in motion. It is the season to ponder these things.
Saint Gerard’s Majella advice to us is to: “Consider the shortness of time, the length of eternity and reflect how everything here below comes to an end and passes by.” He said, “Of what use is it to lean upon that which cannot give support?” Time is finite. Time will end. All people must know this. The eternal is forever. The eternal is given freely to those who choose to follow the Way thus find the pearl of great price.
Fear, self-ness, busyness: these are the time stealers of our lives. Fear, self-centeredness, busyness: these are the peace stealers of our lives. They are enemies of peace. You might be surprised to hear that busyness is on this list. Mother Theresa said: “In the West we have a tendency to be profit-oriented, where everything is measured according to the results and we get caught up in being more and more active to generate results.”
We can be so busy with seemingly good things that we miss the presence of God in the quiet moments of our lives. We can miss that which the Lord has designed to give us surpassing joy and peace. It might be so small a thing that we simply overlook it.
The parable of the 10 wise virgins explains that you cannot give to others what is meant only for God. Busyness can steal time that is meant for something else. A parent can be so busy supporting a household that they miss the childhood of their baby. A man can be so busy with work and providing for his family that he loses the family that he started out to protect. A child can be so busy with sports that he misses family life. And where does God enter into these busy lives?
To take time back that is stolen by our enemies, we first ask, “which enemies? How is it stolen?” What steals your time? Off the top of my head, I can come up with a personal list of the time stealers: media, social media, phones & Netflix, but what else? How about Sports trivia, -memorizing countless statistics? Then there’s time spent on the drama of real people & entertainers, searching the headlines for people in the news or following storylines of people who have no relationship with us except to entertain us.
Time can be stolen by the enemy of regret; we can play the past over and over in our heads—the “coulda, woulda, shoulda’s”. Time can be stolen by our need for ‘perfection’ or by dwelling on the imperfection of ourselves or the imperfection of others. Unforgiveness, worry & anxiety, irritation–these cause internal chaos and can occupy lots of time.
Is our enemy twisted fashion beauty? I recently read an obituary of a young woman that listed her pride in amassing a large collection of clothing and shoes. Do we ‘shop ‘til we drop’ to ‘stuff more stuff’ into our drawers and closets? Our great enemy is Pride. How much time is spent for the purpose of “looking good” to other people? Doing things that give you bragging rights? Insisting that our way is the only way? Do you spend hours on acquiring meaningless knowledge that does not build the kingdom nor provide nor protect your family?
Time stealers can become habits that cause us to be frustrated, isolated, lazy, or stressed. They cause chaos. Think about how you spend your time. If someone walked into your home and took your TV, your computer or your billfold, you would be upset I’m sure. You would probably start locking your door and perhaps get a home security network. What would you say if I told you that you are not only leaving your door wide open– you are entertaining a time-stealing enemy who is stealing something more precious than the riches of this world—eternal life itself. Your enemy is stealing time that ought to give glory to God. Shouldn’t you be more vigilant and protect your vulnerable time?
How do we choose to spend our time wisely? How do we choose our day with purpose? When I was younger we enjoyed river canoeing. There was a thrill of coming through the rapids. There was joy in overcoming obstacles but if you lost your focus or came upon an unexpected hazard you could “tump” over and find yourself in a very dangerous situation or lose everything. When we stayed safe we enjoyed the ride but also enjoyed getting to the take out spot to go home and relax. When you drift upon the waters of life it is easy to get caught by the rushing water and tip over. You can also spin in the whirlpool and tip over– or go nowhere. You can run aground. You can be taken into a fallen tree and get trapped. When on the water, you vigilantly watch your path and steer or use your paddle to push away from hazards and danger; the ride can still have leisure mixed with exertion. Our lives can be that way.
The purpose, the grand purpose of all life, is to eventually enter into the eternal rest of God known as heaven. All decisions should first reflect on the effect upon this chosen outcome. Certainly some choices have little effect –on eternity–such as color or style of shoes but if pride or financial decisions are part of this it certainly can be.
Do you live your life to build the kingdom of God? Do your choices honor God? Each day matters. You matter. Your decisions matter—even very small ones. All benefit from the lives of those who chose their day with purpose. Join with them and be a modern day saint living each day for the kingdom.
In the 15th chapter of the Gospel of John 15:5 Jesus says, “I am the vine, and you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.”
Let me give you a hint to get you started. I invite you to tithe your time to God by “Offering at the top of the hour not the leftovers”. I have first-hand knowledge of giving to the Lord first then using the remainder for ordinary things. And I have seen the blessings that flow when I direct my life to serve God first then serve others. I also have experienced the anxiety that develops when no offering –of time– is made. Time rather than money is key. For great blessing tithe your time and your money! Certainly The Lord has given Parents much to do to keep them busy. Yet, when they spend 10% of their time to bring their children to the Lord; the world could be set free of all its current difficulties. A true tithe is set aside first as the Lord’s; it’s not giving Him the leftover time of the day. The issue with leftovers is that often time runs out. First and best is the Lord’s!
Would you offer a meal prayer as you are cleaning up your plate and waiting for dessert? Do you enter Church for Mass after Communion? Do you show up for work only at the end of the day or during a coffee break? Of course not! Understand the natural to be able to begin to comprehend the supernatural. Those who say, “I don’t have time to pray, etc., are robbing themselves of the benefit of the grace that pours forth—just as a boss would limit a paycheck and promotions.
The Lord does not require anyone to love Him. Yet, those who love Him are filled with joy. Does not everyone who lives in joy have a better life? Do not hope to find God at the last minute and ignore God the rest of your lives. In darkness the path is not easily found. Would you expect an Olympic Medal for ice skating if you never practiced nor set time on the ice as a priority? The Lord sends the Holy Spirit and his angels and saints to both coach and cheer and encourage. Set your life on the prize. It is worth more than silver, gold or bronze.
Let me repeat something I said earlier: The truth sets us free if we would but embrace it. Fear, self-ness, busyness—these things interfere with true peace and joy. The peace that surpasses is the peace that comes from God—from God alone.
Let’s discuss: “Letting loose of worry and fear”. Most worry is based on fear. Will I pass the test? Will I be late? Will I get it done on time? Will he start drinking again? Do I have cancer? And on and on. All fear causes worry and anxiety. The answer to ending worry and anxiety is to end fear. Perfect love casts out fear. In the first letter of John, Chapter 4 verse 18 John wrote: “There is no fear in love because perfect love drives out fear.” Why is that? Because perfect love instills trust. Trust overcomes the fear of every outcome. Let me repeat that: Accepting the Perfect Love of God instills trust. Trust overcomes the fear of every outcome.
Should you still study for a test? Certainly! Cause and effect teaches us to strive to do our best. When we allow fear of the outcome to overshadow the good– we live in fear rather than trust. If we fail a test and flunk out of school after trying our best we need to remember that God is quite aware of our abilities and disabilities. He has a plan of joy for us–in this life and the next.
When we are sick and our bodies are overcome by disease our soul can still be in ‘perfect health’. Let me repeat that: When we are sick and our bodies are overcome by disease our soul can still be in ‘perfect health’. Since our body will not enter the kingdom in a state of deterioration but in a glorified perfected state—why should we be worried? Eternal vs. worldly. Eternal trumps every time!
Many saints and martyrs offered their suffering with joy because they trusted that the God who created them and redeemed them would not abandon them. Yes, some suffered torment and pain for a little while. Some worried that they might not be able to stand firm in pain.
This is a natural aversion to pain that helps people to be careful in dangerous situations. But the peace comes in the letting go. Think of a rope swing out over a river pool. Hanging on to the rope is not as good as letting go. Letting go of control brings peace when you jump into the hand of God.
When time involves choices there is a way to experience ‘double time’. It’s not running faster but rather running the race while you are standing in the world’s time. How is this possible? When everything that you do is dedicated to give God glory, that’s how. If there is something in your life that is against that –against pleasing God; those things that are certainly sinful,– the only way to Give God glory is by avoiding them.
In the scripture Jesus tells people to pluck out their eye or cut off their hand if it causes them to sin. It is not that an eye or a hand is sinful but it is the eye’s agreement to sin that must be removed—you must cut off access to viewing sinful actions, for example pornography. It is not that the hand itself that is sinful but the action it cooperates with that is sinful—such as cheating and stealing or beating and battering others. A man without eyes cannot view lustful images. A man with no hands cannot perform the sinful deeds without the hand’s cooperation.
Let’s go back to the double-time. If you watch your children and give thanks to God for them—this certainly is a way to double your time. If you offer your suffering for perhaps the poor souls of purgatory or for the salvation of your spouse or children, certainly your time is ‘doubled’. Are the things of your day worthy to be dedicated to God? Then do these things in honor of God. Are you ashamed of certain things? Would you choose to hide them? These things steal your time and can lead you to lose the eternal time of joy and peace that the Lord has invited you to receive.
The choice of freewill is our gift from the Lord. If we don’t want to spend time with Him now—He will not force us to change and spend eternity with him. Do not delay your choice to spend your time with the Lord—it may be your final choice.
In the modern chaos there is very little quiet. As you set your day, choose a time for quiet. Turn off the iPod and the TV. Turn the phone to silent. Don’t worry about wasting the time that could be spent learning or being entertained. Be quiet and listen. Let the Lord’s thoughts be your thoughts. After a short while you will be able to enter into His peace and the disorder of the day and the chaos of time will be gone.
How can we find true peace with ourselves and with God? Jesus shows us the way. Jesus explained to his followers, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” John 8:31-32 NAB Only Jesus can set us free. If we listen to his voice and obey his word, we will find true peace, joy, and freedom to live as sons and daughters of God.
And our time of peace and joy will last for an eternity. Amen.
In our next talk, we will continue to find peace as we work through the world’s chaos and discuss “The Supernatural Answers When There is Carnal Chaos”.
Thanks for listening. See you next time on The Truth of the Spirit.
