In 1958 a great movie was made that told the story of Capt. Jean Lafitte's role in the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812.  The Buccaneer starred Yul Brynner as Lafitte and Charlton Heston as General Andrew Jackson.  (Henry Hull also quietly delivered one of the greatest performances in cinematic history as the absolutely indispensable Mr. Peavy.)  Back on point, one of my favorite moments in the movie came when the people of New Orleans were thrown into a panic because the British had landed and the only available American defense was a handful of worn out soldiers with very little ammunition.  Just when the fear was about to reach the point of frenzy, Heston's Gen. Jackson fired a shot into the air and warned the crowd that he would shoot the next man who moved.  With those piercing Heston eyes glowering out from under a brow so deeply furrowed that you could plant carrots in it and a voice that sounded remarkably like Moses, the people knew that he meant business (or bidness for my fellow East Texans).  Once calm, or at least the appearance of calm, had been established Jackson was able to muster the troops and make a stand against the enemy.

Gentlemen, it is our job in our families to establish calm in situations where chaos threatens.  The good news is that the source of that calm is the Spirit of the Lord who lives and works in us.  To allow Him to work in us and to establish His peace in our homes, we must listen to Him.  Ecclesiastes 5:1 teaches us to "Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil."  Do you listen to God?  Don't misunderstand; He absolutely wants to hear from us.  However, do we approach Him to be heard or to hear?  We need to hear from Him more than we need to be heard.  

As a high school teacher I deal every day with situations where students are too busy asking questions to hear me answer them.  In those moments I have to establish calm, so I can begin to replace their questions with understanding.  God wants to do that for us, and it helps when we are willing to listen.  Psalm 32:9 warns us not to "be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you."  Listen and be ready for the Lord to use you to be the firmly established fence post in your family.