Chaotic Beauty

Chaotic Beauty by Tiffany Ward

Life is so fun and ever so full! The pace has been a bit much for my liking. I have felt the weight of overwhelming feelings. I am sure many of you have heard the term “Maycember.” It is a playful mashup of May and December, typically used humorously to describe how hectic and overwhelming May can feel, especially for parents, teachers, and students. I have personally felt the physical and mental exhaustion that these last few weeks have held for our family and it’s been too much! Are you feeling the pace? How are you embracing the beauty? I want to encourage each of you to find time to rest, to play, and to remember. There is a powerful gift in pausing and reflecting.

One of the ways I pause and reflect is on a weekly date night with my hubby. He is my favorite, and he knows it. We recently went on our weekly date and found ourselves at the peaceful oasis of Cresson Bluff Winery. We purchased a bottle of Cabernet to sip and enjoy the atmosphere and reflect on life together. As a follower of Christ, we find a clear understanding in the work of God in our lives versus the work of a dark force which we call the enemy, Satan, or the devil.

The enemy lives in the darkness and his goal and plan is always the same. He is looking for ways to steal our joyful moments especially after we have done something that honors our Maker. As our weekly rhythm causes us to connect and grow closer together, we realized we needed to focus some conversation on our financial budget, as well as our calendar where we budget time. As we were attempting to look at something in the budget on our phones, my husband accidentally knocked my glass of red wine all over me. Oops.

We had a moment where we made eye contact. He had shocked himself and I felt shocked too because oh my goodness what just happened?? Ironically, our budget conversation was centered around the costliness of buying new clothes, and I had saved this not-so-budget-friendly new outfit for our date. He was kindly apologetic. And I calmly replied, “May we go home?” He said, “I’ll go close our tab.” He handed me the keys and I began walking back to the car.

I found in that moment how comical all of this was. I began to laugh as I pulled myself into our Lunar Rock colored 4Runner. I laughed because I realized that in that chaotic moment, I did not feel angry or annoyed or victim minded. What a work of Christ in my life. I researched how to remove red wine from clothes and thankfully have these same pants and shirt free of red wine stain today! Phillip and I came home together. We shared a beautiful exchange with our family where in the past we would have both pulled away from each other to distance ourselves from the whole situation.

I am glad to see how God works in our life! He changes us completely. With thanksgiving, we can hit pause, reflect on what is, what we want to be, and the changes we can make individually and together to grow into who we are becoming. With this being Memorial Day weekend, it’s a great time to consider the sacrifice of another so we could live in the freedom we have today! What a testament of kindness, goodness, and strength. What a testament to sacrifice. Could you find some time this weekend to pause, to reflect, to remember?

— Be Treasured