Calm in the midst of a (snow) storm

Mark 4:35-41

After going most of December without snow and even enjoying 50 degree weather the first week of January, Wisconsin has once again realized it is not Florida. Over the past couple of weeks snow has caused me to cancel meetings, nurse sore muscles that I had not used since shoveling last winter, and remember that some drivers treat snow fall like a sort of invincibility shield thinking that the two inches of space is plenty of room to pull into on-coming traffic.

And so when I read about Jesus resting at the back of the boat, I must confess I am a bit jealous. In the midst of life with kids activities, school events, work, cleaning, and did I mention about trying to keep the driveway clean of snow? It is difficult to find rest, especially in the midst of a storm.

The waves crashed in on the boat, the disciples were yelling, there was loud commotion, and Jesus was snoozing in the back of the boat. It is such an odd scene, I can't help but laugh. Either Jesus was really tired or was like my college roommate could slept through fire alarms. Like so many times we encounter humor in scripture, when the laughter subsides is the moment the scripture writers make their point.

"Peace...Be Still" Jesus says. Most of the time I've thought that Jesus was saying both to the storm all around. More and more I think that that one of those comments and maybe even both were actually directed at the disciples.

How in the world do we find peace in the midst of the snow storms of life? How in the world can we be still when there is so much to do? Ever try to sit still when you have a nagging sense that there is something you are suppose to or could be doing? In those moments, my mind keeps screaming..."Don't just sit there...do something." And the only way to quiet the voice is to get up and respond to the laundry that needs folding or the lawn that needs mowing.

Those words are powerful especially since one chapter earlier, Chapter 3, Jesus confronted the idea of Sabbath by healing a man who lived with a diseased hand. Even as Jesus says you cannot legislate Sabbath, a short time later, he finds his own Sabbath space. He finds time (to quote Barbara Brown Taylor) when he is "good for nothing" and rests.

I pray this morning as the sunlight glistens off the newly fallen snow that we would find moments of rest and especially the peace Jesus spoke in the midst of the storm to the disciples. And may that moment of rest and peace grant you the openness to sense the traces of God's grace in your life.

Blessings, peace and grace.