LIFE'S STORMS | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: LIFE'S STORMS | Previous Challenge Entry
By Valerie Routhieaux
06/03/06
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LIFE’S STORMS

When I think of peace I think of sunrise, that time before the day begins, when God paints the sky in the glorious pastel hues of pink, orange, blue, yellow.

I think of sunsets when He again paints the heavens as the sun retreats for another day.

I think of water as it bubbles over rocks and cascades down cliffs, and rises in a mist when it reaches the bottom.

I think of a sun-percolated forest as I drink in the sweet smell of the earth, especially after a rain.

All these fill me with peace, a time of refreshing that my soul longs and thirsts for.

Then I remember something I read about peace. An artist wanted an expression of perfect peace.

It wasn’t found in a sunrise or sunset. It wasn’t found in a waterfall or sun-percolated forest. Instead, it was found on the edge of a storm tossed sea. A tree stark against gray leaden skies, with a small bird perched on its branches.

I could feel the wind tossing the branches wildly about. See the waves crash against rocks and shore. See the lightning split the sky, and hear the thunder roar. And my soul was filled with a sense of peace.

Jesus was in the boat with his disciples. The storm was all about them. Waves crashed over the sides. They bailed water to no avail.

The Master was asleep in the bottom of the boat. Should they wake Him? What else were they to do? Their lives were in danger.

Jesus, called upon in the hour of greatest need, rose from His bed in the bottom of the boat. He wasn’t irritated that they had woken Him from desperately needed sleep. He wasn’t impatient with them as He went topside and looked out at the raging storm.

Instead, because He loved them, He firmly and authoritatively called out to the wind and waves, “Peace! Be still!”

And immediately the wind ceased, and the waves calmed. The skies overhead cleared, and the sun shone.

The disciples were amazed as they stared at the sea that no longer churned, and felt the sun’s radiance as it shone on and all about them.

What storms do we have that need to be stilled?

Do you sit at the bedside of a loved one?

Or is your little one rushing in with what for him or her is a major crisis, but for you it’s a matter of a kiss or a little first aid.

His or her smile lights up your heart as you take care of his or her need and send him or her back out to play.

Your loved one turns his or her head, and sees you there. The face lights up with recognition, and you know all is well.

Our crisis is no bother for Jesus. He wants us to call on Him, and He will reach down into our storm, and with a word quietly spoken with authority, everything is put to rights again.

The sun comes out. The birds chirp gaily in the trees of the forest. The babbling brook sounds crisper and more clear as it rushes toward the waterfall, and descends in a cascade of mist, and the rainbow you missed the first time is there with God’s promise that all is right with the world.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

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