"Do you even care if I drown?!"

During the 12th week of ordinary time we looked at Mark 4:35-41, the story of Jesus calming the storm. The disciples were in boats when the storm came up and were scared for their lives. In their fear they woke up Jesus who was sleeping. They asked him, “Do you even care if we drown?!” Jesus revealed his authority over the weather when he spoke to the wind and the waves which immediately stopped. These seasoned fishermen were shocked and even more fearful of Jesus than the storm. 

Lives can become stormy in ordinary times. The wind and waves of circumstances and relationships feel threatening. Everything becomes topsy-turvy so easily. In the midst of the storm it’s easy to loose perspective. The focused person becomes distracted. The calm one struggles to control emotion. The wild one turns into a storm on the loose. What is usually easy for us starts to feel difficult and maybe impossible. 

It’s in the midst of our ordinary storms we call out to Jesus, “Do you even care if I drown?!” His answer is often unexpected because our expectations aren’t always based in reality. The reality is that Jesus can be trusted in every storm and in every ordinary day. We can trust him because he’s with us, he’s for us, and he cares.