“For God is not a God of confusion but of peace” (1 Cor. 14:33, ESV).
One of my favorite movies is “The Right Stuff.” It’s the story of the original seven Mercury astronauts as they are selected, tested, and make the first manned space flights for the United States.
There’s a scene where Gordon Cooper (Gordo), played by Dennis Quaid, and another astronaut trainee are in an enclosed chamber where they are subjected to all sorts of distractions. They are cooped up in there for hours and hours and hours. At different points of time the temperature goes up and down, the lights flash on and off, and other things happen to see how these guys would react under pressure.
Finally, Gordo nods off to sleep. Suddenly and all at once, the lights flash on and off, a LOUD siren screams in their ears, a gush of steam spews across the room! Instant CHAOS!
The other guy goes NUTS! He’s clawing to get unstrapped from his chair, he’s screaming at the top of lungs, he is freaking out – big time! Meanwhile, there sits Gordo, sleeping. As the test nurse peeks through the observation window, Gordo’s eyes barely open up and he sees her peering inside at the two men. He smiles at her, closes his eyes, and goes back to sleep in the middle of all the chaos.
When was the last time it seemed as though your world was crashing down around you? Did it drive you nuts? We’ve probably all been there at one time or another. Trying situations and people around us can seem like flashing lights, loud sirens, and all types of other distractions. They can throw even the best of us off the course that God has set out for us.
So, how do we respond like ol’ Gordo? How do find the inner strength to keep our heads when the world around us seems to be falling apart? The good news is that God can strengthen any of us to rise above our situations, our distractions, and our distractors so that we can continue to follow His path… no matter what.
The Bible that teaches us how we can be Conquerors of Chaos and the evil that would block our paths, simply by letting God work in us and through us.
David McCall
Executive Pastor
