Post #38 -- Living in the Eye of the Storm

A friend recently commented — “Don, I wonder sometimes if “chaos” adequately describes what you and Marilyn are facing (referring to the subtitle of this blog, 'Experiencing the fulfilled Life in the Midst of Chaos') — or whether it’s more like ‘living in the eye of the storm.’” 

That was a new thought to me and I had to spend some time pondering on it.  And since then I’ve had fun working through this question.

Actually processing this comment from my friend has been quite therapeutic as in doing so I could see more clearly God’s hand on us during the present medical journey.

What is Chaos?

Not being totally sure of the official definition of “chaos,” I turned to Webster who defines “chaos” as “the state of complete disorder and confusion.” 

Personally, I’d simply call it floundering in life — living without purpose that would otherwise bring life and light to one’s pathway.  It’s about  living without direction, and as a result, being torn in many different directions.  It’s about not being sure of anything important, as opposed to being confident and assured in what one believes.  It often involves being discouraged and possibly depressed over the lack of answers that make sense out of life.  It’s about being mixed up and confused over what’s real and what is not.

I ask myself, do these characteristics describe us?  After all, we’ve got a clear purpose: to glorify God in all we do and to be an encouragement to others.  I feel we have a clear direction of where we’re headed — to heaven.  I am very confident in the biblical convictions God has given me. I’m neither discouraged nor depressed.  And I feel I have a clear sense of what’s real and what’s not real.  

I concluded the situation that my wife and I are experiencing would probably not be characterized as living in “complete disorder and confusion.”   There must be a better way to describe our present situation.

Could living in “the eye of the storm” be a better metaphor?

What is the Eye of the Storm?  

When we think of the eye of a storm, our minds generally go to the hurricane.  The eye of a hurricane is a uniquely fascinating phenomenon. It’s hard to imagine that at the center of a vicious hurricane, with winds of 150 mph, is an area that is entirely calm with clear sky.  

Experts tell us that the eye is calm because the strong surface winds that converge toward the center never reach it.  Hurricanes and tropical storms rotate around the calm eye in the center of the storm.  On the average, eyes are about 20 to 40 miles in diameter, but they can range in size from just a couple of miles to a couple hundred miles in diameter.  The more powerful the hurricane, the smaller the eye tends to be. 

We’re told that it’s not entirely uncommon for people in the eye of a hurricane to assume the storm has passed and think it’s safe to go outside.  People caught in the eye need to continue sheltering in place and, if anything, prepare for the worst. Circling the center eye are the “eye-wall winds”, the strongest in the hurricane. In literally seconds one can pass from the relative calm of the eye into the 150-mph winds of the wall (depending on the strength of the storm).

What is Living in the Eye of the Storm Like? 

But now let’s move on from talking about hurricanes to talking about the storms of life that each of us face.  Not to play semantics here, but I see the fierce winds of that storm to be the chaos that rages all around us.  Each of us has the prerogative to live in the fierce winds of that chaotic storm or stay in the calm eye of the storm.

The question we must all answer is: Do we choose to live in those winds that rage all around us or do we choose to step into the eye?

Daniel, from Scripture, was one to live in the eye of the storm.  After being ordered by the king not to pray to anyone but to the king himself or he’d be thrown into the den of lions, Daniel did what he was his normal practice.  Three times a day he went to his room, knelt down, and prayed to his Lord — and was thrown into the lions den at the order of the king.  Regretting the order he had given, the next morning the king hurried to the lion’s den to check on Daniel’s welfare. From lions’ den Daniel answered the King, “‘May the king live forever!  My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty’.  The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God”  (Daniel 6:21-23 NIV).  Daniel lived in the eye of the storm.

The apostle Paul was another, “Though we experience every kind of pressure, we’re not crushed. At times we don’t know what to do, but quitting is not an option. We are persecuted by others, but God has not forsaken us. We may be knocked down, but not out”  (2 Corinthians 4:8-9 TPT).

Yes, there is a storm raging around us — and we, much like Daniel and Paul are in the middle of it. 

What Has Protected us From the Chaos?

As I reflected on this question, several possibilities have came to mind.  I believe the answer lies in the fact that God has enabled us to make some good decisions (for which we quickly give Him full credit).  Here are several of those decisions:

• A decision to live with an eternal perspective.  We have chosen, as best we can, to keep our eyes on Jesus and gaze heavenward with glimpses of eternity and the hope that He promises us.
• A decision to deeply trust God on this journey and give Him full control of our lives.  We feel protected from the chaos only as we deeply trust God and allow him full control of our lives.  It’s then that we feel connected to God.  Our goal is to try to walk through our day with a single focus marked by faith.
• A decision to meet alone with God and His Word on a regular basis.  Frankly, I hesitated to include this because I’ve written so consistently about it.  But as I reflected, this was impossible to ignore.  It’s in this time alone with God and His Word that we experience the calm and serenity that our hearts crave and the chaos around us looks much more manageable. 
• A decision to build more margin in our lives and pace ourselves accordingly.  The chaos around us is strongly marked by busyness and noise.  But as we introduce more margin into our lives and slow down a bit, we fine that here in the eye of the storm it is rather calm and quiet.  We are committed to control our schedule and not let it control us — or at least we are attempting to do this.
• A decision to withdraw from “toxic” news.  Philippians 4:8 makes is very clear we are to focus on things that are “true, noble, right, pure, lovely admirable, excellent and praiseworthy.”  Very little of the newscasts today fit this description.  We find it much more pleasurable to replace this disturbing news with more objective news, good music, books, and relational activities.

Very simply — here in the eye we are being shielded from much of that storm. In the middle of that eye is Jesus, and His wraparound presence is shielding us from the disorder and confusion that rages all around us (Psalm 119:114 TPT).

Because of this, the medical journey is tolerable.  This is not to minimize the ferocity of those hurricane winds, but it is to stand firm on God’s promise that He will never leave us or forsake us.

But there’s a caution here…

When we’re in a storm, it is important to intentionally stay in the center of the eye.  As the experts tell us, the greater the storm, the smaller the eye — and that it is very easy to step out of the storm and into the wind.  

This being the case, in the storms of life, it becomes so very important that the greater the storm, the closer we walk with Jesus, lest without realizing it we step out of the eye into the winds of life and become consumed by them.  When the winds are blowing the hardest, it is all the more critical that we remain diligent, alert, and close to Jesus there in the eye of the storm.

I’ve found the familiar song by Ryan Stevenson, In the Eye of the Storm to be exceptionally relevant and encouraging.  Enjoy it with me.  I’m including some of the lyrics of the refrain here.

In the eye of the storm

You remain in control

And in the middle of the war

You guard my soul

You alone are the anchor

When my sails are torn

Your love surrounds me 

In the eye of the storm

With a key verse that caught my heart …

When the test comes in and the doctor says 

I've only got a few months left

It's like a bitter pill I'm swallowing

I can barely take a breath

And when addiction steals my baby girl

And there's nothing I can do

My only hope is to trust You

I trust You, Lord 

Can I Thrive in the Storm?

This brings us back to the original question my friend asked me: Are you and your wife living in the “midst of chaos” or is it more like living in the “eye of the storm.”  

To answer my friend, I’ve concluded that from a big picture perspective, in many respects, we  indeed are living in the midst of a chaotic storm that is swirling all around us — a storm of chaotic national cultural confusion and despair as well as our own personal struggles associated with a deadly lung disease.  We are certainly seeking to live a fulfilled life within that chaos.  

BUT that storm has an eye to it as the chaos swirls fiercely around us, and we are able to truly live the fulfilled life only by staying close to Jesus in the eye of that storm.  It is here in the eye, with Jesus, that we find the peacefulness, restedness, contentment and purpose that allows us to experience the fulfilled life God desires for us.

I am trusting that here in the eye of the storm I can truly THRIVE no matter how fierce that storm might be!