A frequent phrase my mom says to our Siamese cat when she is constantly whining for attention or for wet food when it’s dinner time.
And it got me thinking—how often do we whine for things? Not in meows, but in sighs, groans, and “Why today, Lord?” laments. We grumble when we’re forced to wait.
When we try to stitch together a good day only for life to unravel it with a series of snags—a traffic jam that eats the morning, a car that refuses to start, a rude interaction that scrapes at our peace.
Our common response is to complain which does nothing, but makes us more frustrated or angry than before.
But as His children, we’re invited into something counterintuitive. I am not saying that we will have a life free of stress and/or chaos, although that would be nice. What I am saying is that we can have a life that doesn’t have to be consumed by it.
Philippians 4:6-7 tells us to:
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
And 1 Peter 5:7 wraps this truth in saying:
Cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
In other words, we are called to cast our worries to Him, and trust that the God who sees us is also guarding us. Not some of our worries, but all of them–petty ones, the overwhelming ones, and the ones we are too embarrassed to admit. He cares.
Here are a few examples of finding calm in the chaos:
- The moment you choose to take a deep breathe instead of reacting when someone snaps at you.
- That unplanned detour that leads to a reminder you didn’t know you needed—a song, a sunset, a stranger’s kindness.
- The quiet realization that prayer isn’t the last resort—it’s the first whisper of surrender.
Sometimes I hum a random song that pops in my head.
Maybe what we need isn’t just the solution we’re crying out for, but a reminder to return to stillness. To trust that He is already at work.
Because sometimes the most profound peace comes not from the absence of problems—but from the presence of God in the middle of them.
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