Silence. Be Still.

I am convinced the reason we do not have perfect lives is because then we would take the compassion and mercy of Jesus lightly. To put it plainly, if we didn't have problems we would have a weak, staggering faith. Recently I was reading Mark's gospel chapters 4-5 and came to the startling conclusion that the best time to see Jesus in action is when we feel the cards are stacked against us. A faith based rescue by Jesus in a storm is the perfect contrast to darkness and light. One could say it's almost as if the hero roars into action defeating the evil villan in a blaze of glory. You see, we spend too much time seeking perfection and not enough time seeking Jesus. Our days are full of "could of's" and "should of's" and not enough quiet time in scripture. Then when the storms of life come we're terrified and tend to crumble under the circumstances. Jesus is telling us in Mark 4-5 that we've got our priorities all wrong. The way to weather the storm is to lean into faith and run from our own understanding. To Jesus it's so simple, to us it's overwhelmingly difficult. In Mark 4:35-41 during the storm one of the disciples asks "Teacher, don't you care that we're going to drown?". Jesus replies with "Silence, Be still! Why are you so afraid, do you still have no faith?". The key word I want to focus on is still. Do you STILL have no faith after everything Jesus has done for you? Think back to all of the times you thought you were sinking but didn't. Here's a hint incase you're confused - if you're reading this right now, Jesus hasn't failed you in your storms. You see faith is the vehicle that causes us to keep driving even when the check engine light comes on and the engine is smoking. Faith is the reason we keep pushing even when we say we can't take anymore. The truth is we are stronger than we think because it is no longer us doing it alone, it is Christ in us. Keep pushing forward and learn to trust Jesus not yourself. Faith is a spiritual muscle that can be trained and expanded upon. The more faith you have the more miracles you will see.