STORMS
One day Jesus said to his
disciples,” let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into
their boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on
the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.
The disciples went and woke
him up, saying, “Master, Master we are going to drown!” He got up and rebuked
the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided and all was calm. (Mark
4:35)
There is something comforting
about hearing the wind howl when inside my cozy little condo. I am surrounded
by three inner walls so the drafts from the wind are minimal. My balcony
protects the outer wall from the elements. My car is in the underground garage.
All is well.
As the trees display their enormous strength
against the powerful wind, the sky a thick layer of pewter, there is a sense of
peace and security because of my shelter.
Storms appear in multifarious
forms; snow, dust, rain, wind, ice storms. A snow storm will change the earths
landscape to a winter wonderland. Torrential rains, hurricanes, and ice storms
will play havoc on the land and individual property.
In spite of the destruction
caused by hurricanes, it is said to be important rainmakers in certain regions
of the world. It helps to maintain global heat balance and assists in cycling
nutrients from the sea floor among others.
Storm chasers who fly into
hurricanes report that there is an amazing calm in the eye of the storm. There
is no wind, nothing moves, silence. The
eye has an average diameter of 30- 60 km. Above the plane is clear blue sky
with the sun streaming into the windows. Surrounding them is total darkness of
the eyewall thunderstorms and below them the roaring ocean stirring up waves up
to 60 feet high.
The storm ceases and we see
the sun scorching its way through a hole in the clouds, as there has never been
a storm that didn’t end.
The storms of life; we have
experienced them, all of them. We have been caught in them, helplessly lost in
them and sometimes, because of our own making. We’ve been blown of course with
clouds of fear, helplessness, doubt, insecurity, losses, but we survived. Life
is precious.
In the storms of life, God
speaks to us. Sometimes in the eye of
the storm, in the dead silence of life when there doesn’t seem to be any sense
to anything. Through the little things, the nonsense of life. Nothing profound
like written in the stars or reveled in a dream. Just a word or a thought like,
don’t give up, show grace, forgive, keep going.
We must keep walking through
the storm and not fear the darkness of the eyewall as nothing can separate us
from the one who calms the storm.
It is sometimes in the storm
that we see real miracles. They are not the miracles that create faith because
we saw something. They are miracles that it takes faith to see.
Go to the other side, who
knows where that is in our lives or what awaits us. No matter what happens, we
have Jesus asleep in the boat, which gives us hope and courage.
Nothing can compare to the
mystery of the absolute knowing that even in the silence, whether it is in the
eye of the storm or the calm after the storm, that the presence of his holiness
is there. Listen for it.
As we keep going to the other
side may the one who sleeps in the boat become awake in us.
