Oasis

N.B. No, this is not about the band, but rather, the situation of utter calm that is present in the midst of chaos; oh, will someone tell me where the last two months have gone?

So things have been busy lately, to say the least. Holiday Club came and went, all that time I thought I had to prepare for the youth service has shrunk to just under two weeks, and it's Christmas in just 51 days (my sister's baby is due in just 46 days???) and I haven't even started thinking about it! Time seems to fly when you are having fun or working for a church, apparently. So yeah, September and October seem to have flown by amongst everything that's been going on, and with that has been a great deal of stress, anxieties and worries about a number of different situations, involving and affecting me directly or indirectly.

But looking back on all of that time, I can clearly see that amongst all the chaos that seems to have been going on are a number of situations in which I have experienced God, in fullness of silence and serenity. When the presence of God has cut through the raw and dishevelled harshness of my thoughts and emotions, and brought me a much higher understanding of what I am going through, even if I don't know why. A peace that surpasses understanding, a quiet oasis in the midst of complete devestation and wilderness, a calming breeze in the storms of life: this I have found in my God.

Not suprisingly, a number of those situations arose from conversations I have had with the children I have been working with. It's holiday club during the half-term week, the theme this year being "What's Up Doc?" with a real focus on Psalm 139, and the way God has made each of us in an amazing and special way. And a lot of the teaching was hard hitting, and intentionally so. It is so important for children of that age to know that they are special and that they are loved. To know a positive identity in themselves and in the person they are. Because I know how much will affect them in later life if they do not realise it now.

"I praise you because I am

fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well."

Psalm 139: 14