Calming Our Storms

The constant changes of life swirl around us daily, seasonally, yearly. Just about the time I think we have settled into a routine, something changes. I notice this a lot with my baby’s sleep schedule. For a while she was sleeping in, allowing me both a workout and a shower if I woke early enough. Then she changed her schedule again, waking earlier and going back down for a nap a short time later. I have no idea how long that will last.

Our daily routine changed, too, as we are taking a break from full-on school days. I have free time to figure out how to spend, and there are so many things on my to-do list, I don’t know where to start. I have to figure it out, though, or this gift of time will pass me by and I will wonder what I accomplished.

In just a few weeks, I will have to move us back into a schoolyear routine, which means I am already anticipating another change. I suppose I would rather be thinking about the coming change than have it hit me in the face. Sometimes change does that, though. It comes at us so fast and furious that we have to act on the defensive to take it in. One thing finishes and something else begins, and there is no break in between. We feel like we never get a breath.

We focus on the storm when we should be focused on the one who is holding our hand through the storm. We should be focused on the one who can calm the storm, even if that storm swirls only in our hearts.

Jesus.

Jesus cannot change our crazy schedules. He cannot change all that is on our to-do lists. He has even allowed some of the chaos into my life to teach me how to manage, how to rely on him, and how to say the right yeses and nos. He created the changing seasons and the movement of day turning into night then into day again. He knows all that we are going through.

Matthew 8:24 says, “Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying ‘Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!’ He replied, ‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm” (NIV).

The power of Jesus in our lives can help us rebuke the wind and the waves, both in our hearts and in the physical daily tasks that come with living. We can pray about what we ought to be doing and take out of our schedules or off our to-do lists the things that do not line up. He will build up our faith when we follow his lead, and we will see the results.

For me, this looks like peace in my heart about the things I am involved in and being able to keep my home as a place of refuge and peace. Summer brought time for things other than homeschool, but how quickly that time fills up. We have been busy with Vacation Bible School, swimming, and playing with friends. Last week my house felt like all the things we own were out of place, so I asked my big boys to help me.

I said, “I will cook dinner. You guys do one task at a time, coming back to me for the next task each one is finished. You can stop and eat in between, and then we can all finish together after.”

The storm of my house had caught up with me, and it was making me feel crabby. Only because of the power of the Holy Spirit did I realize the answer stood right in front of me. God gave me my kids, people to do life with, and they stepped up to the plate and helped, even running the vacuum and reading to their brothers so bedtime didn’t last forever. As we prayed together that night, I thanked the Lord out loud for boys with helping hearts and willing hands. While there was initially some resistance to my plan, the acknowledgment that they are part of our family team and that their help is needed and important made them feel so good. I could see it on their faces.

Sometimes, in the storm, we need to be still and listen to the Holy Spirit, who will provide peace for our spirits and, sometimes, more than one path to calming our storm. We need to remember that we are part of God’s team, and our unique roles are important. He put us in this place at this time because our story will mean something as part of his grand plan.

Will you let Jesus shape your faith today by asking the Holy Spirit to give you peace for your spirit and wisdom that leads to calming your storms?

Carla Clemens enjoys a crazy, beautiful life with her military husband and four sons. A baby and toddler interrupt her homeschool days in the best ways, and she is always attempting to live with mindfulness of each moment. She hopes to look at the world and each person in it in light of our amazing Creator and therefore, to see each moment presented as an opportunity to love and serve him more. Carla relishes time to ponder God’s Word and have quiet moments with him and her coffee. She loves doing life with other mamas and encouraging them to simply be who God has made them to be.

Photograph © Mauro Mora, used with permission