The Storms of Life

Christ in the Storm on the Lake of Galilee by Rembrandt, 1633

Jesus woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Mark 4:39

My family and I vacationed in the upper peninsula of Michigan. Lake Superior is quite massive and is capable of powerful storms. One day we were out on the water on a glass bottom boat, touring shipwrecks, the result of powerful storms.

The gospels tell a story about Jesus and the disciples out on a lake in a boat in the midst of a great storm (Matthew 8, Mark 4, Luke 8). The waves were crashing into the boat. Jesus was asleep. The disciples woke him up, fearing they were going to drown. Jesus immediately calmed the storm and the disciples were amazed.

We all experience storms in our life. A week ago, my daughter, Mara, found a lost dog in our neighborhood. She chased the dog down and took care of her. By the time my wife, Joy, and I got home, the shelters were closed and the police wouldn’t send anyone to pick up the dog until the next day. So we created a shelter the best we could in our backyard. I love dogs but I didn’t want to bring a stray into our house. There was a strong thunderstorm during the night. We were up at two in the morning checking on the dog. It was a restless night.

The next morning, Mara was out in the backyard, drying the dog off. She and Joy said they were bringing her into our garage. I relented. They made a plan to take the dog to a shelter after school.

When Joy had to leave for work, the dog was resting comfortably on a cushion in a box in the garage. I opened the garage door and the dog bolted. I tried to entice her back, but when she got beyond the door and realized she was free, she took off. She ran around the house. I ran through the house and out the back door. I called to her. She stopped and looked at me for a moment. Then she called over her shoulder, “Sucker!” and took off and was gone.

My family was not happy with me. They let me know we didn’t do all we did to take care of the lost dog just so I could lose her again. After they left for school and work, I ran around the neighborhood for a half hour, searching for the lost dog.

As I was looking for the dog, our church’s administrative assistant, Julie Lefebure, contacted me and said we had no phone or Internet at Salem. Turns out we were struck by lightening and had several important items damaged and destroyed.

As soon as I finished that conversation, one of my best friends in ministry, Gary Hoyt, texted me and said his wife’s brother had just died, unexpectedly.

Jesus, wake up. We need you. We’re going down!

We all experience storms in our life. Some are little, like a lost dog. Some are bigger, like the damage done to a house from a storm. And some can be terrifying, like the death of a loved one. Some are like the violence, flooding, and fires we’ve experienced this summer in our country and around the world. We all need Jesus to calm the storms in our lives and in our world.

Here’s the thing: the disciples got to experience the storm being stilled in their lives because they were with Jesus. Being with Jesus is what discipleship is all about. We're called to be with Jesus.

How do you stay with Jesus in your life?

We’re each responsible for our own discipleship, but Salem is here to help, offering many opportunities to be with Jesus and the body of Christ. We offer worship, Sunday school, Youth, small groups, Bible studies, outreach events, mission projects, and more. The important thing is to be intentional about living life with Jesus and the body of Christ. Because we all need to be with Jesus so he can still the storms around us and bring us peace.