First, let me thank Kevin Chiri for this opportunity. I have written pieces like this one for a long time for Episcopal churches in Texas and Louisiana. I love writing them and I pray you will enjoy reading them.
I found it appropriate the lesson read in church yesterday was the story of Jesus calming the Sea of Galilee (Mark 4:35-41). For 6 weeks, I have felt my life was in the same kind of chaos created by the storm and getting worse. Nothing was really wrong. I simply had too many things going on in my life and little control over them. I really needed to calm the storm.
Storms on the Sea of Galilee spring up and disappear very quickly. Even the most experienced sailors as many of the disciples were, can be caught by surprise. When the boat started taking on water, the disciples started to panic. Jesus on the other hand was sleeping. I can easily picture a disciple with sheer terror in his eyes screaming "Jesus, how can you be sleeping at a time like this?"
My teenage vacations were often spent aboard a 19 foot boat on the central Louisiana Gulf coast. Once, we were east of Vermillion Bay while our car was on the west side. Normally, we crossed the bay in about 20 minutes but a hurricane was bearing down on us. We hit the 8 foot waves dead on causing them to frequently splash over the boat and land behind us for 1½ hours. Pop installed a bilge pump when we got home because of the water we took on that day. I cannot picture anyone sleeping through such chaos.
Last week, I rode the train to Lake Charles to help a friend whose world was more chaotic than mine. On the way, the Father provided several wonderful people who unknowingly helped clear my mind. I spent the 7 hour return trip in quiet meditation and prayer. I returned home to find Kevin's wonderful offer. I could not sleep until I completed an e-mail with my qualifications to him at 1:38am.
For the moment, my chaos is gone. I still have a lot to do but the waters are calm now. Sometimes, all you have to do is be open to what the Father is saying. Are you?
Grace and peace in the power of the Holy Spirit.
(J. Wesley McComb is a published author and a member of Christ Episcopal Church, 1534 7th St, Slidell, 643-4531.)
© by The Slidell Independent newspaper; originally published on July 2, 2009. Used by permission of publisher and author.