The Eye of the Storm

Each day brings decisions to be made, deadlines to meet, creative thoughts to put down on paper, devotionals to be written with today’s insights. My novel needs revision, there are query letters to write, and I need to find a home for the story written and ready to submit somewhere. And that’s just my writing life.

Sometimes I feel like I am standing in the eye of a hurricane. In my mind I visualized the weather map showing the huge blob of the storm and in the midst of it, a dark eye. Around me swirl the cares of the world, the problems of family members, the busy-ness of the church, the demands of my writing career.

Last week I complained to the Lord that I was being sucked into situations too difficult for me to handle. Someone shared a problem and I felt myself slipping into the controversy. A friend is going through a difficult time and I felt myself being drawn into her situation. In the midst of confusion, I felt the Lord prompting me to stay in the middle of this place, in the center of the swirling problems, in the eye of the storm where there is perfect stillness. As long as I did, I felt His peace.

But after a few days, I complained to the Lord. Yes, I pulled back from all the troubles surrounding me but what had I accomplished? I had slipped into self-defense mode and felt isolated and alone. While I maintained my own peace, I questioned all the things not being done or accomplished. Surely I was put on this earth to help others and accomplish the tasks before me.

The loving voice of Jesus answered, “Look beneath your feet.” I looked down and was surprised to see that I was standing on one task. Just one thing in the swirling mist of needs. “Work on the task beneath your feet.”

One task is easy. Manageable. Doable. Not overwhelming.

When I finished my task I looked up to see what would happen next. In my mind’s weather map, I saw the storm meandering to the next task. When the eye was situated squarely over it, I felt the Lord directing me to begin working on that issue. And then one more thing, and then another. All the while in the eye of the storm, in perfect peace though the world’s turmoil swirled around me in threatening currents.

It is the swirling problems around me that sap me of creativity and make me tired before I begin. Attacking one problem at a time makes all the difference. I put one word down on paper, then another. Easy. Especially if done in the eye of the storm, in the center of God’s perfect peace.