Finding Peace in Chaos: How Faith Can Help You Navigate the Unexpected

Welcome

Finding peace in chaos feels harder than ever in this day and age. Am I right? Planes are falling from the sky, wars are raging, and food prices are at an all-time high. Everyone is constantly wondering, “What else is coming?!” Or maybe you’re like me and have faced your own losses that just feel too heavy to bear.

How do we keep going on? How do we continue when the world feels like it’s spinning out of control and our lives are in complete chaos? Well, that’s exactly what we are going to be talking about today.

Welcome to the Outnumbered by Chaos Podcast where we talk about Jesus, life, parenting, Christian homemaking, grief, and so much more.  But most importantly, we walk the path together to build grace-filled homes, rooted in love – where we can go from surviving to thriving…with Jesus. 

As tough as life is sometimes, I know that there is so much more than we can see or imagine. There is hope for our future. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. And maybe the suffering we endure is not without reason. But what do we do? How do we continue?

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Finding Peace Through Chaos

My World Fell Apart-But God Sustained Me

My world fell apart three separate times in the last three years. Each year brought a new pain, new chaos, and a new storm that I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to survive—until I did… with God.

• May 2022 – My husband, Ben, passed away, and I sat in a puddle of my own tears for weeks. Praying, worshiping, and thanking God for the time I had with my husband. But I hurt so deeply I didn’t know how to keep going. That’s when the Holy Spirit met me right in my grief. He showed me the mercy in His purpose.

• 2023 – As a newly single mother, I lost my very stable, high-earning job of nearly eight years without warning. I had just returned from maternity leave when I was informed that my position was eliminated.
• 2024 – My biggest and only brother, my only sibling, passed away suddenly while I was on my way home from what was supposed to be a joyous vacation. Again, I praised, I worshiped, and I poured my heart out to God, but this time was different.
  
  My heart had changed… and not for the better.

Compounded Grief and the Struggle for Faith

There is an interesting (yet awful) phenomenon called compounded grief – where experiencing multiple losses in a short period of time intensifies the pain and trauma of each one. And that is exactly what happened to me.

The grief compounded in my heart with each loss, and I unknowingly built up a resentment in my heart towards life and God himself. At one point, my heart hurt so bad that I could no longer pray.

That’s when I learned that bitterness would come and settle in our hearts if I let it. But God understands. And despite it all, He is still good.

For me, God was still there, waiting. And when I was ready, He met me in my sorrow and allowed me to pour out my bitterness, anger, hurt, and sin to Him while He comforted me.

Take This Cup of Suffering

It reminds me of Jesus. When He sat in the Garden of Gethsemane before the Lord in prayer and asked three separate times if the cup he was about to drink could be removed.

“Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me.”

– Mark 14:36

You can almost hear the suffering and pain in His voice as He cried out to God.

Jesus, in His own words, said His soul was crushed with grief to the point of death. He felt the weight of what He was about to endure as if it was happening in that moment. And while there is no comparison to the suffering Jesus endured on our behalf on the cross, His words spoke to my soul.

After my brother passed away, I remember laying on the ground in my bedroom. I had not eaten in days, nor could I remember the last drop of water that touched my lips. My spirit was so weak that I did not even have the energy to pick myself up to drink water. I simply laid there, waiting to die.

That’s when God said, “Enough.”

Finding Hope and Peace in Christ

After that moment, the Lord reminded me that He sees all. He showed me how such trauma and loss in my life was actually a brilliant act of mercy on His part. Just as Jesus had experienced suffering on our behalf so that we could have a relationship with Him, I too, had to experience the breaking of my of my own heart to learn that I desperately needed him. And I needed to learn how to lean on Him.

That’s where I found true peace in chaos. That’s where I found true love, true companionship, and true healing – in Jesus.

Christian life is not always easy, and Christian parenting through grief is even harder. But in those moments of despair, I found that God carried me when I had no strength left of my own.

And, no matter what we face in this world, it is nothing compared to the joy we will receive when Jesus comes to bring us all home.

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us… We know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now.”

-Romans 8:18-22

In that is our hope. Right here is our peace. Just as Psalms 30:5 says,

“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”

…And truly, it does.

It’s been nearly nine months since my brother passed away, and coming up on three years since my husband left us… and I have joy. I have peace.

Does my heart break from time to time? Absolutely. But only for a moment – because joy always comes in the morning.

Encouragement for Those Who Grieve

So, my dear friend, if you’re overwhelmed with the crushing grief of life, I want to encourage you today. You can have peace in chaos. There can be joy after loss. You can live a life of beauty, faith, and purpose—with Jesus.

If you don’t know Jesus, or maybe you haven’t talked to Him in a while because of grief or hardship, I invite you today to let Him meet you where you are. Simply bow your head and say this prayer with me:

Jesus,

Our mighty savior, I am hurting. The grief of life has weighed me down and I don’t know where to go from here. Lift me up, Lord. Renew my spirit and show me how to embrace the joy and peace that you promise. Help me to trust in your plans, Lord. Forgive me of my sins. I accept you into my heart and I want to know you, I want to love you, and I want to see your face. Show yourself to me, Oh God. And heal my heart, just as you promised you would. Thank you for healing me and bringing me into a relationship with you. I love you, Lord. –

In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.

And friend, if you’re still struggling, or you need someone to talk to and pray with, please email me at outnumberedbychaos@gmail.com.

Remember, no matter what storms life brings, you can find peace in chaos through faith. May God bless you on your journey of healing, hope, and restoration.

Get Connected

So sister, if you too are ready to ditch the chaos of life, and create a beautiful, calm life that you LOVE to live, I invite you to join me right here every Tuesday at 9 am PST, for a brand-new episode.  We’ll continue to tackle hard topics with practical solutions and a whole lot of Jesus! 

And if you are feeling like you need a little bit more in between, check out the Outnumbered by Chaos Blog where you’ll find articles about Jesus, faith, Christian parenting, Christian homemaking, grieving with grace, and so much more.

Plus, head on over to our resources page and check out templates and tools you can use to help you get control of your life and make it more enjoyable today!

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I’d Love to Hear From You

And if you loved this episode, I’d love to hear from you.  Comment your biggest “aha” moment and then jump on over to the free Grace-Filled Homes community on Facebook to join a growing community of Christian Women who are also working to create Grace-Filled Homes, rooted in love – with Jesus.