Rain, Rain Go Away

April showers bring May...showers, as well as June? Man it feels like it rains everyday. That's pretty much because it does! I heard a stat today that the entire month of June has had two completely rainless days. What the heck is going on out there? I guess it's appropriate that todays Gospel was from Mark 4, where Jesus calms the winds and the waves.

³⁵ On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." ³⁶And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. ³⁷And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. ³⁸But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" ³⁹And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. ⁴⁰He said to them, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?"⁴¹And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"

There's a cool scene unfolding right here. Jesus is setting it all up to get across to the other side to do ministry. Right in the midst of it are the wind and the waves as they start to increase and strengthen and send the boat full of former fisherman into a frenzy. You know it must have been bad if they were freaking out, they should have been used to this stuff. So the disciples go down and wake up Jesus. And the best part is they're freaking out on Him! "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" Then Jesus gets up, and tells the wind and the sea to basically can it. It's a harsh form of be quiet in the Greek. But it's not the case that Jesus always gets up and calms the rocky seas in our own lives. Sometimes we have to weather the storm, but we know that in the boat with us is Jesus. We know that we are safe in His protective care as He travels with us.

I was over on Devoe Avenue in Williamsburg today at a Fathers Day fair at a local Baptist Church. Cool music, good food, good people, good vibes. The rains came and the young girls dance studio continued to perform for a little while out there. Eventually the events moved inside as we took shelter from the elements but I couldn't help but think of those few moments that those young girls braved the storm and danced right through it. They did it by keeping their eyes on their teacher and trusting the could get through the routine. This little episode has made me reflect and think about that phrase that goes, "Life's not about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain." I know I know, corny, but how true does it ring? Jesus told us there would be hardships in this life. He never promised it would be easy. What He did promise however was "Lo, and I am with you always, even unto the end of the age."

Storms and rocky seas will seemingly always be present in our lives, especially while we're in the midst of them. But like those little girls, it's about learning to keep our eyes on our teacher. In this case the teacher is Jesus. In another storm account in the Gospel's Jesus sends the disciples ahead and seas are dangerous. Amidst their fear Jesus showed up walking on water. Peter, in faith, keeping his eyes on Jesus walked out to meet Him. It was only when Peter began to rely on his own strength that he started to sink, yet even Jesus was there in that instance. So instead of holing up and waiting for the storm to pass, learn to dance in the rain.