Focus Scripture: Mark 4: 39-41 (NLT)
When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”
A few years ago, during one of our routine Monday morning meetings at my chaplaincy intern field study site, the interns were asked to share the stories of our faith journeys with all the lay mentors and senior chaplains. In round-robin fashion, we took turns telling what had brought us to this juncture in our lives. As each intern spoke, many of the lay mentors took copious notes. Others sat on the edges of their chairs as if doing so would help them capture every nuance of the experience. Some of the mentors even asked questions of each speaker, apparently to get greater clarity on something that had been said. The whole process made me feel somewhat uneasy.
Over the months of my internship, however, I moved through a growth process that involved peeling off my bewilderment layer by layer – identifying specifically those things that weighed me down, examining their impact on my life, praying for guidance, then releasing the residue to the Master, and moving on. With each new revelation came a new release. And with each new release, I felt myself growing stronger. In the process, I experienced a peace that is hard to explain.
From all of this, I have drawn many conclusions: For example, God gives peace to those who trust him. God enables those who trust him. When you trust God, He will direct your path, protect you, and use you to inspire others to trust in Him. To tell it the way my grandmother used to tell it, “I once was lost, but now I’m found. I was blind, but now I see.” And the more I tell this story, the more acute my vision becomes, and the more at peace I feel!
Prayer
Faithful God, I thank you for being the keeper of my soul. When everything else around me is in a state of confusion or turmoil, thank you for calming the storm and for giving me peace. Amen.
From Reflective Renewal: Grace at the Crossroads
