Category: Marriage

PPPPERTURBED

by Jennifer Greene-Sullivan

The Situation

Today, a moment of oddness settled in the Tiny House Office. I feel ANGRY, AGGRAVATED, and PERTURBED.

If you were to ask Chris, he would probably tell you that finding me mad in here randomly is nothing new. But hear me out—right now in this moment—I feel STEAMING mad.

There is this folder that Chris is always asking me to find. This time, he asked me to find the FAIRFIELD folder, yet it’s really the MORROW folder. Sometimes, he wants the STAYBRIDGE folder. When I do find them, they’re all empty because he has removed the 150+ printed blueprints and plates and has “RUNOFT” with them—as we say in the South. That means: he’s taken them from their organized position, and they’ve disappeared to somewhere that only God knows.

This happens once or twice a month. I have re-printed the same sets of blueprints and created new folders over and over again. And here I am this afternoon—once more—looking for the FAIRFIELD folder, only to find three empty folders labeled FAIRFIELD by me.

Meanwhile, I come across three precarious stacks of drawings and plates with no labels, no clips, no order, and mingled inside other COMPLETED QUOTES folders. So, I stacked them into three piles, hoping Chris can figure out which job they belong to later.

In the process, I broke two filing cabinets (literally tore off the rails), and five years’ worth of folders got strowed across the office. Liam was hollering: “Mama, where are my drawings? Mama, I’m hungry! Mama, I’m starving to death!” while I was bent over, neck aching, trying to salvage order from the chaos.

And still—no FAIRFIELD folder.

As I write this, my mood stabilizes, my perturbance eases, and my fingers on the keyboard make me laugh at myself. Why am I writing about this? Because this folder fiasco reveals more than a bad office day—it reveals my heart.

The Pivot

If I can get this perturbed about folders, cabinets, and blueprints, what does it show about how I handle the deeper messes of life?

God reminded me:

  • “For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.” (1 Corinthians 14:33)
  • “Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)
  • “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

Life’s “missing folders” are not always paper and drawings. Sometimes, they’re unanswered prayers, unfinished dreams, or unmet expectations. Sometimes, it financial distress, health scares, and family tragedies. In those moments, my spirit wants neat labels, perfect filing systems, and everything in its place. Yet God often lets things scatter to show me how much I need His order and His peace.

I may feel perturbed, but He calls me to trust Him in the disorder.

Challenge of the Week

Ask yourself:

  • Where do I get most perturbed—at home, at work, or in my relationships?
  • Instead of staying angry, how can I pause, breathe, and invite God’s peace into that frustration?

A Prayer

Lord, when life feels scattered and I get perturbed by things big and small, draw my heart back to You. Give me peace where there is chaos, patience where there is disorder, and trust where there is uncertainty. Help me laugh at myself and lean into You. Amen.

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