Grab a Pillow!

I’m not sure what the weather has been like in your part of the world, but it’s been quite stormy the last few days where I am. Lots of wind, rain, thunder, lightning, flooding, severe weather watches and warnings. During times like this you often notice more noise, more fear, an increase in accidents, a decrease in peace, more inconveniences, and a lot less patience. I even went home after celebrating Mother’s Day with my Mom only to realize the electricity was out on my side of town. Something as simple as this, especially on a day like that, would be enough to cause some to experience an internal storm far greater than the storm that’s occurring outside.

While those around me are trembling with every strike of lightning and jumping at every roar of thunder, I smile as I peacefully reflect on how Jesus responded during even more severe weather conditions. Mark 4:37 paints us a picture of what was going on in the atmosphere around Jesus at one particular time. It says, “Suddenly a windstorm struck the lake. Waves started splashing into the boat, and it was about to sink.” Now, you know the storm was pretty severe if the boat was literally about to sink. And what did Jesus do in the midst of all of this? The very next verse tells us, “Jesus was in the back of the boat with His head on a pillow, and He was asleep.”

Don’t you just love that?! In the midst of all the craziness that was going on all around Him, Jesus was still able to maintain the peace that was at work on the inside of Him. He didn’t allow the external storm to create an internal storm. He didn’t allow the fear and trembling of those around Him, to welcome a spirit of fear within Him. His confidence in The Creator caused Him to be calm on the inside which He ultimately conveyed to the chaotic conditions on the outside.

My Mother’s Day wasn’t ruined because I got home and had no electricity. In actuality, in many ways it ended up making it even better. Since the pandemic, I really have only eaten meals that I’ve cooked at home. But this minor inconvenience of the power outage gave me great reason to go grab one of my favorite lunches. As I was driving to the restaurant, I declared my electricity would be on by the time I get back home. And you know what… It was! Why? Because even though the power was out around me, The Power was still at work within me!

Not matter how severe the storms of life around you may appear, no matter how loud the thunder of other people’s hurtful words may roar, no matter how shockingly the lightning of the unexpected may flash; we can still choose to respond the way Jesus did. So the next time fear tries to knock on your door, don’t answer it. Instead, choose to do what Jesus did and grab a pillow!

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