For The Wind Was Against It

I walked across Lake George, once - the whole width, shore to shore. Don't be impressed: it was mid January and the lake was frozen over. Along the way, I passed a few people sitting on milk crates fishing through holes in the ice. Apparently, this is quite normal for that time of year. We exchanged greetings as I continued on my way. It was a sublimely beautiful experience for me for several reasons; the stark beauty of nature, for one. The fact that I could say with relative certainty that no one ever stood in this exact spot as I soaked in the beauty that surrounded me was awe inspiring. And it's not something I get to do every day, walking across a (frozen) lake. A frozen lake can make some strange noises though, and I can tell you that all that peace and serenity vanished the moment I heard something I didn't understand. "Was that the ice cracking!?!" 

In this Sunday's Gospel, the Apostle's boat is being tossed about; for the wind was against it. How many times in life do we find that the wind is against our little boats? At times it seems to me that the wind is constantly against my little boat. The whole of 2020 feels that way, so far. It's not just that the wind is against the boat, but the sea is so big - what am I to do if I get capsized? This is the real concern.

I think that this is something we fall back on all too easily; we quickly begin to worry about the worse case scenario - or at least to fear what is not known, as soon as the wind sets against us. As men in modern times we don't like to say that we are afraid of anything. So let's just say that we become "preoccupied," OK? The task we are given - the command that we are given is simple:  love the Lord our God with our whole hearts, our whole minds, and with all our being. But how can we do that if we are preoccupied with all these concerns? We begin to focus on preventing the worst case scenario, and we lose sight of what is most important. Can we fully engage with our creator in this frame of mind? I ask you: what is it that you are "preoccupied" with? 

Take a moment if you can call to the Lord as Peter did; "Lord save me!" I encourage you now to look to the Lord: He's coming across the water for you. He reaches out His hand to you and says as he did with Peter "Why did you doubt?" Only He has a smile on His face, because He knows. He knows all of it..........

+ Theophilus