The familiar Gospel passage about Jesus calming the storm on the sea and calming the frightened hearts of the apostles reminds me that Jesus says the words "Do not be afraid" to me too. Am I afraid of anything? I would immediately say "No!" to that question, if asked of me right now. However, on closer look, perhaps I am not quite being honest with myself.
I think we are all in some sort of fear when we lose control. I am looking at the election coverage that is ongoing in the United States this year, and I hear people say that they are afraid of this or that candidate becoming our next president. I hear of an outbreak of an unknown deadly virus in our area and I may have fear knowing I am vulnerable to coming down with this illness. sometimes I fear the response of an uncooperative person or the wrath of a co-worker, relative or friend who is "out of sorts" today and will most probably become a problem.
The list can go on and on. The long and short of it is that I cannot control the presidential election, the deadly virus outbreak or the emotional life of the person who is on the verge of venting all of his or her anger at me. I can only control myself and I have enough to handle in that regard.
When I fear the loss of control, no matter how it manifests itself, it may be good for me to get into my boat on the storm-tossed sea of my life and sit there in prayer, waiting to let Jesus come.
Resurrection Spirituality asks me to take control of my own life, in the ways that I handle the storms on my sea. if I seize control, I will find that the boat almost capsizes. If I let go and try to control my own reaction to the storms, I find that Jesus is there and whispering "Do not be afraid."
Taking control of my life is not a selfish thing. It is just the opposite of being selfish. Taking control of my life has another side to it called, "letting go." It is also called "dying to self". I pray that today and in the days ahead I may better live this spirituality. He is ALIVE and WITH ME, even when the wind is blowing so hard that I cannot see or hear him. I will never have to weather the storms of life alone.
I think we are all in some sort of fear when we lose control. I am looking at the election coverage that is ongoing in the United States this year, and I hear people say that they are afraid of this or that candidate becoming our next president. I hear of an outbreak of an unknown deadly virus in our area and I may have fear knowing I am vulnerable to coming down with this illness. sometimes I fear the response of an uncooperative person or the wrath of a co-worker, relative or friend who is "out of sorts" today and will most probably become a problem.
The list can go on and on. The long and short of it is that I cannot control the presidential election, the deadly virus outbreak or the emotional life of the person who is on the verge of venting all of his or her anger at me. I can only control myself and I have enough to handle in that regard.
When I fear the loss of control, no matter how it manifests itself, it may be good for me to get into my boat on the storm-tossed sea of my life and sit there in prayer, waiting to let Jesus come.
Resurrection Spirituality asks me to take control of my own life, in the ways that I handle the storms on my sea. if I seize control, I will find that the boat almost capsizes. If I let go and try to control my own reaction to the storms, I find that Jesus is there and whispering "Do not be afraid."
Taking control of my life is not a selfish thing. It is just the opposite of being selfish. Taking control of my life has another side to it called, "letting go." It is also called "dying to self". I pray that today and in the days ahead I may better live this spirituality. He is ALIVE and WITH ME, even when the wind is blowing so hard that I cannot see or hear him. I will never have to weather the storms of life alone.
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