Surviving Stormy Days
March 27, 2021
What a difference one month makes! When last I wrote we had just survived a week of ice and snow. Now the grass is greening up, trees are blossoming, all kinds of flowers are budding and blooming, and the spring storm season is upon us. Isn’t it fun living where there are four distinct seasons? Yes! Yes, it is!
As I confessed my love for snow last month, I must now confess my lack of enthusiasm for thunderstorms. My dearly beloved husband enjoys watching storms roll through, especially while playing banjo in front of our picture window. Back in the day, I took on the roll of life guard when a big storm blew in. I’d gather the three daughters, the dog, (and bunny, hamster, or gerbil when we had them), blankets, pillows, a flashlight, and the weather radio if I thought of it. I squashed them all into our very small hall bathroom with me and closed the door. As banjo music floated in amidst loud crashes of thunder and girls screaming “Daddy, get in here! Daddy, you’re gonna die!”, I prayed for protection for us and the lunatic man in the living room. Trying to get him to take cover in a storm is like trying to get him to move away from a rattlesnake instead of taking an up close video of it. This is the cross I bear.
Thinking about storms reminds me of when Jesus told the disciples to go on across the Sea of Galilee after their exhausting day of teaching and feeding five thousand plus people. He told them He would join them later. And, boy, did He! In the middle of the night with a storm raging over the sea, Jesus just calmly walked on the turbulent water to the boat as if it was nothing unusual. Peter, of course, had to have proof that the guy on the water was actually Jesus and not some ghostly apparition, so he asked Jesus to help him walk on the water with Him. We all know how that worked out. Peter took a few steps, and then started to sink when he looked at the storm instead of at Jesus.
And then there was the time Jesus was already in the boat with the disciples, sleeping in the stern, when a storm came up. The terrified disciples woke Him up with their screams of fear. Jesus stopped the wind and rain with one authoritative rebuke. I imagine He then gave them The Look. You know, The Look a mother gives when she has finally managed to lie down for a tiny nap, and a beloved child comes knocking at the door because she’s bored, or she heard a noise, or she wants a drink, or she’s simply feeling talkative. It’s a look of love slathered with a whole bunch of exhausted frustration. Jesus had had a long day and he needed some rest. But he calmed the storm, and then laid a little guilt trip on them. “Why are you fearful? Have you lost your faith in me?” Hmmm. That’s an ouchie!
We have a lot of storms raging around us these days, both weather related and society related. We can either wring our hands, cower down in our lifeboats and cry in fear, or we can remember that we have a Life Guard that is strong enough to either calm the storms or help us to walk by His side right through them.
I have no photos to share because Jesus didn’t have his picture taken. I tried to upload a couple of drawings on here, but what used to be easy to do is not anymore, and I don’t want to bother my son-in-law about it. This is my own personal storm right now. First I will scream and then I will let Jesus give me The Look. The End