So often I find myself thinking about where I have been and what I want to do with my life. I get caught in the past thinking about people, places and things that I have met, been to and done. Some good. Some bad. I also wander off into the future and think about the things that I want to do. The things that I want to accomplish. The legacy that I will create and then eventually leave behind. I get caught in this cycle of back and forth. I teeter totter on the past and the future aspects of my life. Bouncing from one to the other never living in the present.
I think if we aren’t careful we can let that control how we live our day to day lives. Getting lost in the past prevents us from living in the present and enjoying the here and now. Likewise wandering around in the future can cause us to miss something of important in the present.
If you turn off all of the distractions or storms that consume our lives for just a moment and sit still just long enough you can begin to breathe. I think that allowing ourselves to breathe is important. Breathing allows us to live. Breath flows through our bodies and recharges us. As I write this I have turned off the all of my distractions and can hear the air move through my nose to my lungs. Its peaceful. Even after God created all the heavens and the earth he took a breath and rested on the seventh day. Taking a moment to breathe allows us to seek clarity in a world of distractions.
I think God created us for moments like these so that we can trust him and listen to what he is trying to tell our hearts. One of my favorite verses is found in Mark 4:35-41 where Jesus calms the storm. The passage describes that Jesus and his disciples were taking a trip across the sea when the calm sea turned into a great storm. In the midst of the storm, Jesus had fallen asleep. As for the disciples they were panicked and afraid that the boat might sink. Mark 4:39-41 says “Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
I think that the disciples learned two important lessons on that trip. The first is that they realized who Jesus was. They learned that he was God and that he cared for their safety. He wasn’t going to let them get hurt or drown. The second was that they learned to trust Jesus. They began to actually put aside their fear and have faith that Jesus was going to provide a way out.
I am a lot like the disciples. I tend to panic and freak out when life gets out of my control and messy. I lose sight of who God is and my faith becomes fear. I have to continually remind myself to trust God and rely on him so that he can provide a way out of my storm. I have to actively seek him out when I am struggling with sin or some fear much like the disciples did and then allow God to take my burdens and transform my heart.
Are you actively seeking out Jesus and trusting him with your burdens? Are you willing to put your fear aside and have faith that Jesus will provide a way out of the storm? I think once we realize who Christ is and actively seek him out like the Disciple, then we can actually begin to breathe knowing that our fierce storms are much more gentle.