What Manner of Man Is This, That Even The Wind & The Sea Obey Him?

My 11 & 9-year-old girls share a room. One is very organized & neat. The other is… NOT. This caused quite a few problems until they found a simple solution: Painter’s tape. Down the center of their room. Dividing the order from the chaos. 👏 It has been magical, so long as nothing crosses over onto the clean side, at which point my one daughter turns a bit like Gandalf: “YOU SHALL NOT PASS!” 😆

Well, the other day my sweet, uh, hoarder daughter was tired of her messy side. She began the hours-long process of organization (ahem, with the help of her mother), & we did it! We took her room, which was “without form, & void” (Gen. 1:2) & FORMED IT. We created order. 

She was THRILLED to go to bed in her clean room. 

So was her sister!😁

I loved the intro to the Come Follow Me reading on the Creation: “One thing the Creation story teaches us is that God can make something magnificent out of something unorganized.”

Wow. Yes!

“We will go down, for there is space there, & we will take of these materials, & ​​​we​ will make an earth whereon these may ​​​dwell” (Abr 3:24)

“And it was so, even as they ordered” (4:11)

“And the Gods organized the ​​​earth​“ (12)

They took existing materials &… ORGANIZED IT.

They created function out of dysfunction.

Order out of chaos.

This pattern is found everywhere.

When the tempest raged, Jesus said, “Peace, be still.” (Mark 4:39)

When the demons raged, Jesus said, “Hold thy peace, & come out of him” (Luke 4:5)

When the earth raged after Christ’s death, “the earth did cleave together again, that it stood.” (3 Ne 10)

When wickedness raged & Mormon wrote to his son in anguish about “the depravity of my people!” who were “without principle,” “past feeling,” “WITHOUT ORDER & without mercy,” (Mor. 9), he testifies of the grace & justice of Christ! And he says: “All things shall become subject unto him” (26)

All things.

Can the same Being who calms the seas, calls out the demons, commands the earth, CREATED the earth also bring order & peace & purpose to US?

Yes.

“What manner of man is this, that even the wind & the sea obey him?” (Mark 4:41)

The Son of God. Savior. Creator. Organizer.

Of chaotic bedrooms.

Of chaotic souls.