A couple of weeks ago, I was flying to the east coast and started thinking about the terrible storms that have engulfed the northeastern part of our country. From there, I began to think about the storms that are an inevitable part of life.
I recently lost my grandson, and the pain goes deep into my soul. I know that different people respond to grief in different ways. Some people seem to be over their grief in six months while others are still grieving after sixty years. You’re not going to find me cheering up and saying everything is okay.
What am I to do about my grief? In contemplating this question, I remembered a message my pastor told about these guys out on a ship. Large storm waves came out of nowhere, and they asked the ship’s captain, “Don’t you care if we drown?” The captain stood on the bridge, made a couple of course corrections, and they were in smooth water again. At that evening mess, the captain asked them, “Why were you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
Stories seem to be good therapy, and it comforts me to remember that the great ship captain Jesus is at the helm, helping calm the storms of life. It also helps to remember that I don’t always have it together when I think I do.
I’ve been holding this query: “Do I know Him well enough to get through the storms of life, particularly this one?”
— Richard Evans