Jesus stops a storm
35 Later that day, when evening came, Jesus said to them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.” 36 They left the crowd and took him in the boat just as he was. Other boats followed along.
37 Gale-force winds arose, and waves crashed against the boat so that the boat was swamped. 38 But Jesus was in the rear of the boat, sleeping on a pillow. They woke him up and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re drowning?”
39 He got up and gave orders to the wind, and he said to the lake, “Silence! Be still!” The wind settled down and there was a great calm. 40 Jesus asked them, “Why are you frightened? Don’t you have faith yet?”
41 Overcome with awe, they said to each other, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”
Reflection
I envy people with gravitas. It takes something special to walk into a room full of people chatting and get their quiet attention without raising your voice.
I envy the people who, moments after their head hits the pillow at night, begin to snore. It takes something special to shut your brain off like that.
I envy the people who can recognize a trigger response in themselves and redirect it before it becomes a full-blown panic attack. It takes something special to defuse the bomb threatening to go off in your nervous system.
It turns out I’m not that great at calming storms. Classroom management was never my strength as a teacher. I’m better at the one-on-one coaching and counseling aspect of being a teacher. The best way I’ve found to shut down my brain is to have a show playing on my phone under my pillow so my thoughts won’t spiral. The only way I seem to be able to defuse the bomb or put myself back together after my nervous system overloads is to force a shutdown (take a nap) and hope I feel better when I wake up.
It feels good when my toddler wakes up at night crying out, as soon as I scoop her up and cradle her in my arms she nuzzles into my chest and falls back asleep.
It feels good when my 3-year-old takes a deep breath because I give her “slow tickles” (gentle finger strokes down her back or her cheek) after she’s been raging over every inconvenience.
It feels good when the dogs sit quietly as they wait for their dinner.
It turns out there are some storms that I can calm.
A lot of things have changed since I’ve become a mother. The storms I’m able to calm are different than they used to be. I have to remind myself that even when chaos is threatening to overwhelm me, everything will be fine. Storms happen, but they always pass. It would be nice if they passed with a simple command, but that’s not everyday life (other than telling dogs to “Sit! Stay!”). Life happens, chaos happens, heartbreak happens, storms happen, but they always pass.
by Ashley Bowler
For Pondering and Prayer
What storms in your life do you struggle with the most? How do you ride the waves until the winds calm down?
What storms are you able to calm? How do you quell the wind and waves?
Prayer: Dear God, We all have our own storms to weather. Jesus spoke and protected the disciples, but we often feel that we are alone at the helm in a hurricane. Please, God, remind us in those rough seas that our faith will protect us. Grant us strength to endure and confidence that the storm will pass. Amen.