Christ-Centered Chaos

I apologize for being MIA the last couple weeks.

We’ve moved to our new house, and we’re mostly settled. All the important things are put away: food, clothes, and, of course, books. We have a cute little living room entryway, and I’ve been bound and determined to turn it into our own book nook. I can’t tell you how nerdy I’ve been about it—I even found a hot cocoa table that looks like a library card file cabinet!!! OHMYGOSH, it makes me so happy to have a cozy, warm, and welcoming place to sit back and read/write/nap. LOL.

The shelves are placed and stocked, now I just need to decorate the walls. My question is. . .will photos on the walls make the room too busy? Maybe I should just hang a eucalyptus wreath and call it good.

What do you think?

Last week I was listening to Sunday on Monday, a fantabulous LDS Living podcast by Tammy Uzelac Hall. She dives deep into the Come Follow Me lessons with various guests. Tamu Smith and Shahna Argyle chatted with her about what a “celebrated dwelling place” looks like. Where do we find one? How do we transform our own home into one?

As always, I loved the entire episode, but segment 3 stood out to me with flashing neon lights. Here’s how the section started.

(Note: The italics are quotes from the podcast (I did clean it up a bit so it makes more sense), and the comments in the brackets are my own thoughts as I listened.

Tammy: “All right, you two, I'm actually excited to ask this question because I don't know the answer. I think it'll tell us a lot about each other. In your homes, do you guys have any specific set of instructions or rules as you've set up your home over the years?”

Tamu: “Um, I would say that I have rules that I had before I had children and then rules that I had when this house was new, that didn't, you know, [stick]. You know how kids will change some things in your life. I would say that a version of my house was going to be kind of like the temple

[*gasp. YES! Yay, I’m not the only one trying to make my home a temple. I mean, really, how many times have we been told our homes should be like the temple?]

I had children, like after I got married and before I had kids, and then it just—You revert back to what you know. So, then my house became a Christ-centered chaos.”

*BAM! * The holy ghost hit me with a pillow to the chest. *

[Christ-centered chaos. LOL. 1,000% Accurate!]

* * *

Now. Can we be one with our inner 10th grade biology selves and dissect that for a minute?

CHRIST-CENTERED:

To me, living a Savior-centric life means having such passion for the Lord and His gospel that we live and breathe it every day, not just on Sunday. It’s our way of life. We actively teach our family to be disciples of Christ and to come unto Him. We seek after His Light in all we say and do, and when we make a mistake, we learn from it. We repent and do our best to become better people because of it.

CHAOS:

If you have children, you live in chaos. Enough said. LOL

If you don’t have children, but you’ve tried herding cats. caring for a large litter of puppies, teaching nursery, or gone shopping on Black Friday, you’ve been in chaos.

CHRIST-CENTERED CHAOS:

Maybe you already have life figured out and everything put together. In which case could you please write a book for the rest of us? We’d love to know how you do it.

For me, though, this is a game-changer. It’s incredible! An answer to my prayers, really.

• I yearn to have a home that’s filled with the Spirit and ripe for revelation. A safe haven from the world. An Eden of love, laughter, and joy. A place where we can grow—physically, spiritually, socially, and intellectually as a team.

• Reality check. Life is messy. There are so many balls in the air we drop one here and there—sometimes we even drop all of them. It’s overflowing with opportunities to practice forgiveness, patience, and repentance. It’s beautifully unpredictable and filled with the cacophony of life.

THE LESSON:

These two goals are not mutually exclusive.

In fact, you CAN’T have one without the other!

It’s vital we live the unpredictable turbulence that is life AND have a Christ-centered home. Our Brother completely understands that raising children is like brushing your teeth while eating Oreos. He gets it! And he’ll be there with us through it all. The thick, the thin, and the where-in-the-world-did-this-sticky-mess-come-from times.

We must get down in the trenches, wade through please-let-that-be-mud up to our ankles and fortify our homes as Captain Moroni directed. We must fight the good fight each and every day for our God, our Country, and our Family. They’re worth the sacrifice. Try not to worry, my friends. We’re not alone on the battlefield. We’ve got the armor of God to protect us, our ancestors to fight with us, and the Lord to show us the way.

He'll help us up when we fall.

He’ll laugh so hard with us his cheeks will hurt too.

He’ll cry with us when our hearts break.

He’ll provide the streamers to celebrate our victories.

He’ll carry us when we lack the strength to keep trying.

HOMEWORK TIME:

I love everything about said “Christ-centered chaos.” It totally deserves to be memorialized, don’tcha think? What’s your flavor? Will you write it on a sticky note on the kitchen cupboard? Make a cutesy quote on Canva and pin it to the family bulletin board? Embroider it on a pillow? Or as Shahna (the other guest from episode 11) mentioned, emblazon it on a plaque with vinyl lettering?

Do it. Now. Before you forget. Put it somewhere you will see it often. And then show me your work—I’d love to see it.

Comment below. Penny for your thoughts?

Choose light, my friends!

Love, MJ