Calm In The Midst Of Chaos

Do you ever hear a demand to look up from your everyday life and be alert? 

The world feels heavy to me right now. Reports of violence in our schools, diverse wars inside and outside our borders, the impact of a global pandemic and a wavering economy swirl around us.

From the safety of my own life, I can’t fathom the challenges that so many people are experiencing. 

And yet, a wise proverb from Thomas Fuller reminds us, “It’s always darkest before dawn.” 

We’ve all experienced times that call for a response that feels like more than we can give. There are times when we fall to our knees and humbly listen for guidance or relief when we just don’t know how to respond.

Despite all that’s happening in our world, I believe that we are waking up. Separate from media images and reports, there is another movement around the globe that is talking about the impact of thought, and a reality beyond what we can see and touch. 

You see this movement in the current plethora of books, online courses, coaching communities and retreats all focused on spiritual awareness. They recognize the power of the metaphysical and honor the need for the spiritual wisdom and strength of the feminine mind.

Humanity is rising. As 19th century spiritual pioneer, teacher, and author, Mary Baker Eddy put it in a letter to a student, “Rise, not by will power, but by exhalation.” 

Awaken – get clear, gather strength and be impactful – not by pushing and shoving, worrying and willing, fearing and reacting, but by letting go. 

We care more effectively for others, and are clearer about how to do it, from a state of peace.

Crisis situations awaken us. They demand that we exhale fear and rise to whatever is needed. We draw on reserves outside of ourselves. 

It’s like when someone calls us for moral support and the words that come out of our mouth aren’t premeditated. They aren’t ours. They just flow. 

 
"In the midst of hate, I found there was, within me, an invincible love. In the midst of tears, I found there was, within me, an invincible smile. In the midst of chaos, I found there was, within me, an invincible calm. I realized, through it all, that in the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger - something better, pushing right back.” 

 – Albert Camus, philosopher & author

There are also less obvious and more personal calls to wake up. Some of us become aware of cultural expectations and patterns that we’ve mindlessly followed, or information that we’ve taken in without questioning. We sweep feelings under the rug, ignore them, and allow them to fester. If we’re not alert, we can grow resentful and weak…and fall asleep.

Each morning, we awaken from a state of stillness. Our mind is rested, a clean slate. So, how do we maintain this throughout our day so that we’re not sucked into a vortex of stress and fear? 

After all, we experience what we focus on.

Mental stillness is powerful, but it can’t be forced. It demands that, from the moment we awaken, we calmly and intentionally watch our thoughts – about ourselves and others – and choose where we look for clarity and strength, and perhaps the very words we speak. Just as we combat limiting beliefs about ourselves, we must do it for our world.

It’s focused, honest work to look within our own thinking and harness the consistency and discipline to catch and correct thoughts that distract and weaken us, or lull us into complacency. 

As a friend once told me, everything is either love, or a cry for love.

This is what our world is crying for now – the kind of love that believes and has confidence in Good, that isn’t shaken by all that we SEE, but acts on what we FEEL. We need to be tuned in to a high frequency. We need to be ready to respond. Let’s keep our world in thought, together.

"You’re blessed when you get your inside world – your mind and heart – put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.”

 – Matthew 5:8 The Message