Strength

 

O Lord God of hosts,
    who is as mighty as you, O Lord?
    Your faithfulness surrounds you.
⁹ You rule the raging of the sea;
    when its waves rise, you still them. (Psalm 89: 8-9)

 

     Last week our Lenten Study looked at the Gospel of Mark's version of Jesus Calming the Storm. In the Youth Sunday School class discussion we talked of the many metaphorical 'storms' that might come to us in this life: cancer, illness, divorce, death of a loved one, natural disasters, job loss, depression, betrayal, etc. We made a list which included more, and these were not in any certain order. Making the list was quite easy; everyone seemed to have some knowledge of the difficult things we have to deal with in our lives.

     I posed this question, "When the storms of life toss us around and we fear the outcome, who is in the boat with us?" They easily answered the question…"Jesus." But when I asked them what that meant…silence. They know the story, they know what the answer to the question is supposed to be, but much like the rest of us, unpacking what that means is not so easy.

    I am reminded of a song by Switchfoot called "Hello Hurricane." In the song, and just as when we face a real hurricane, the lyrics state, "I've got doors and windows boarded up…" Hmmm….Seems like that might also be a metaphor for why unpacking our understanding of Jesus being in the boat is hard to explain. Boarding up windows and doors might be the right and smart thing to do when facing a hurricane, but shutting down and closing out the rest of the world when facing many of life's storms may prove counter-productive.

     The youth knew Jesus was the answer, but couldn't articulate how this was helpful. Learning to look at the world around you from a theological perspective takes some practice. It’s easy to look at a beautiful sunset, a budding flower, a butterfly fluttering by, or dew-drops on a spider's web and think of the wonder of God's world. Looking to each other and seeing the divine is not always so easy.

     A friend who stands by you in troubled times is attributed to the person's character, not to divine intervention. A loved one who looks you in the eye and says the difficult things that hurts, but needed to be said, is hardly ever thought of as Godly. Or that someone who says or does the most perfect thing at just the right time, but at other times is known to not make the best choices…that one may have just been a fortuitous fluke. Is it not possible that within our incredibly flawed selves God can still work in and through us to help one another in the midst of life’s difficulties?

     While God gives us strength for the difficulties of life, it is also true that God provides those along the way to help us when our strength falters. Awareness of God’s presence in both instances is not always easy to discern, it just takes practice. Thankfully, there are many opportunities in life where we need strength and where we need a helping hand. With each trial, we have opportunities to see where God is present and where God sends others to intervene.

I am so grateful to know that you have participated with the Divine in my own faith journey.

Blessings,
Tracy