Surviving Chaos

After a solid foundation and trust in God, surviving chaos is possible by preparation and organization. As unlikely as that sounds, it is not only possible, but it is imperative that we plan for times of chaos. The moment of chaos arriving in your life and mine is a matter of when, not if. We all face it and a new season of chaos awaits around some corner of tomorrow. Denying it or avoiding it or just simply living oblivious to its reality is not a solution. In fact, it is not even a good idea.

Planning for the unknown chaos lurking ahead is difficult, no question. Even getting our head around the concept is akin to trying to explain the modern political system to a kindergartner. Well, that may be a bad example as the same level of maturity may be needed in both. Sorry, I digress. Pulling in the details and knowing how to plan for the unknowable is about like trying to herd cats. There are just so many directions to keep up with.

The planning and organizing needed for chaos is more about life in general and the specific chaos that will come. When our life is in order and chaos strikes, we are able to keep from falling apart. Trust in God is where it starts. After that, the next step is to be in control of our schedule. Our regular, every day/week schedule must have some margin in it so that we are prepared for the unexpected.

It's often said that the best defense is a good offense. This is true here as well. The best way to deal with chaos is to be proactive with our schedule every day. Know what is coming and prepare for what can be foreseen. Many seasons of chaos can be predicted to some degree. When we fail to recognize this we miss out on an opportunity to thrive in chaos.When we prepare for what can be known, we can simply walk through the steps and the process in the moment because the decisions and direction have already been made and set. We have to let our core values and principles be our guide when life is crazy and things are flying at us quickly. These can only be set in times of calm and through the intentional decisions we make.

If we keep our focus on what matters, our core values are strong, we control our schedule, and how each component fits then chaos won't shatter us.

Preparation and planning are about doing all we can to have margin in our lives to handle the unexpected and then grow through and recover from the times of chaos.

If you have ever wondered how some people seem to thrive in chaos, look at their lives when things are calm and you will find they are planning and organizing and in control of their schedule.