The wind ceased and there was great calm.
Then he asked them, "Why are you terrified?
Do you not yet have faith?"
Mark 4:40 (after Jesus was asleep in the boat)
After that tremendous wind storm last weekend, the next day was so calm outside. You could walk outside without the gusts of wind blowing leaves and sand around. Or it seemed so very calm, because after a few days of such high winds, even a day of normal wind speed was a welcome change. Our spiritual lives can become like a great windstorm when we don't understand why bad things happen and we try to control events that are changing around us but we do not seem to be able to make any progress. Those times are when we need to remember that Jesus is with us, like in the boat, and sitting with us through the storms of life. The image of Jesus sleeping is important because through faith, we know he is still with us.
We need to remain calm during hectic times, and try to be content in that we do not always have an immediate solution. It reminds me of those times when one of my children was ill with a fever, and especially when he or she was young, I would sit in the room and wait for the fever to subside, not that I could make it go away any faster, but that so when the child awoke, if they became afraid of the discomfort that comes with a fever, they might glance in my direction and see me. Even if I was sleeping in that chair, they would know I was still there.
