Have you ever heard the expression, the “tyranny of the urgent”? It came from a little booklet written in 1967
by Charles Hummel and it quickly became a classic. He argued that we often have a choice between
things that are urgent and things that are important – and far too often, the
urgent wins. In other words, we often
spend our days doing whatever is yelling at us the loudest, even if those
things aren’t what are most important.
We run ourselves ragged day after day with our stomachs tied in knots,
just trying to silence the noise.
As a result, we often end our day frustrated, exhausted and
discouraged. Our nerves are on edge and we lash out at those whom we love the
most. And peace? Well, unfortunately many of us haven’t felt
peace in a very long time or even thought it was possible, because most people
around us are absorbed in the same rat race that we are.
I knew this had become the “normal” in our society, but it has
become much more evident to me since my life came to a screeching halt three
weeks ago today when I had my surgery.
Since then I haven’t been able to do much of anything, so it has allowed
me to pay more attention to the world around me. One simple way to do this has been to take
some time to read posts on Facebook, to see the insane schedules that some
attempt to keep week after week. Flip on
the news and it takes just about a nanosecond to be reminded of the chaotic
world we live in with people going every which way, trying to keep their head
above water.
During this time, I don’t think it was a coincidence that I came
across the book, Calming The Storm
Within: How to Find Peace In This Chaotic World by Jim Lange. Mr. Lange caught my attention when he stated,
“Chaos is a part of life that cannot be
avoided. We need to actually embrace the
chaos because God allows it for our own good.” He followed this with this prayer, “Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me so
much that You would allow chaos and trouble in my life. You know what I need and You know that staying
in my comfort zone is not good for me.
Help me to remember this the next time I face chaos and to be thankful
in the midst of the storm. Help me to
see it from Your vantage point so that I can choose peace in the midst of it
and I can be looking for You during the turmoil. Amen.”
Did you catch what it said in this prayer? This prayer asks our Lord to help us see the
chaos from His vantage point so that we can choose peace. Whether our schedule is way over-packed or
fairly empty because we are suddenly forced to go through a long time of
recovery, we can choose to have peace.
In the next few weeks, I plan to share with you some of the
highlights that I am learning from this book, along with what the Lord is
teaching me on this subject, as I am required to lay low. I know I have a lot to learn about this and
hopefully what I share will also be of help to you.
I also want to remind you that I do have my new 90-day
devotional, Ask Me About My Jesus, in my possession! The official release of my book won’t be for
a few more weeks, so I’ve decided to have a “God’s Timing is Perfect” 10% off
sale + free shipping until October 31st!
It is currently available through Amazon in paperback for the retail
price of $15.95, and in a few weeks it will be available in e-book format. But this sale will just pertain to the books
that I have in my possession.
If you would like an autographed copy of my book now, please
e-mail me at luannfulton@gmail.com. Price for each book will be $15.35 ($14.35 +
$1.00 tax). I will need to know your address and how many
books you would like. You may pay by
cash, check or PayPal.
If you want to get some of your Christmas shopping out of the
way, this book would make a great gift!
I will even autograph your books to specific people if you would like.
As we begin a new week, let’s begin praying that the Lord will
begin to let us see the chaos around us from His vantage point so that we can
begin to choose peace. Remember, the world
is watching us to see how we react to life’s pressures and maybe, just maybe,
if they see us choosing peace, they will want to hear about our Jesus!
“And let the peace that
comes from Christ rule in your hearts.
For as members of one
body you are called to live in peace.
And always be
thankful.”
Colossians 3:15
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