Panic or Praise... A Lesson for When Jesus Sleeps

The waves are crashing
The wind is blowing
Water is quickly filling the ship

and I can't help but wonder how much more of this storm is left

I quietly whisper...

What are you trying to teach me?

patience?
perseverance?
preservation?

I pick up a bucket and begin trying to scoop out
the water that is gathering around my feet...

It's not working

I look around to see if there are any other options...
I don't see any

I look to Him, and I know for sure that He can handle this,
but there is a lesson here, and I don't want to wake Him until I get it

Until I understand (I'm trying to understand)

Why He would bring me out this far, and then fall asleep?

I read about how this happened once before

He slept
Relaxed
Rested peacefully

with His head on a pillow, during the storm

While those with Him

worried
woke Him
were reprimanded

(but I'm trying to understand)

What else did He expect them to do?

There's a lesson here and I don't want to miss it
(I don't want to drown either)

but I have to believe that

we're in this ship together
in a storm
for a reason,
right?

I mean...

Why He would bring me out this far, and then fall asleep?

and now I remember...

When I was a child sometimes my dad worked nights, and would make it home early morning and say  "I'm going to rest my eyes.  Wake me up when it's time for me to take you to school."  But he was always so tired that when it was time for me to wake him, I would have to practically scream to get his attention.  I always felt so bad for disturbing him, even though I knew he was my only way to school.

Until one day I learned to sing

and found that a happy sound
is better than a scream

So I started to sing...

from the next room,
and still singing,

moved into the hallway
and still singing,

moved closer toward the door to his room
and still singing,

finally stepped into my parent's room

allowing him to wake to the increase of my song

There's a lesson here and I don't want to miss it because

We're out here pretty far, and it appears that He has fallen asleep

And so I'll sing...

while continuing to draw closer to Him

resisting the urge

to scream
to shake
to wake

Him in a panic with my frantic requests for help

because I know that He won't let me drown

AND...

I have the advantage of having read their experience too

and now I know that
when Jesus sleeps...

He's not only sleeping

He's also

working
waiting
watching

to see if I will panic... or praise

Mark 4:37-41

Click to read...A Lesson in Thanksgiving

Between Jesus and Judas

It is the safest seat in the house...and the scariest

the seat between Jesus and Judas

the enemy who became a friend on one side
the friend who became an enemy on the other

It's very awkwardly comforting

But we find ourselves in this situation many times in life
and we've learned that if you want to sit and dine with the Master,
it means that you may very well have to sit next to a Judas

But Jesus is sitting right there too

"Please pass the bread" you ask Jesus, but instead Judas picks it up and hands it to you

and when you take hold of the basket

you look at Judas
you look at the bread
you look to Jesus questioningly

and He smiles and nods reassuringly

You smile back, grab a roll, and eat with confidence
knowing that if Jesus has

blessed it
broken it
given it

you can sit back and enjoy every bite...

even if it was handed to you by your enemy

Psalm 23:5