Storms: Be Defined or Be Refined

Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” – Mark 4:38-40

I remember while I was still a volunteer teacher for Compassion Ministries, I asked one of my students to draw in a Manila paper the story of how Jesus calmed the storm as a take-home activity. Being a teacher then with no significant amount of experience to share, I relied heavily on the Bible and the Holy Spirit to do the “ministry time” particularly for those moments after class.

Our struggles will either define us or refine us. It doesn’t matter how much you know about God in times like these. What matters most is whether you are applying what you know or not.

It is always easy to give instructions to people for them to increase their faith and never allow unbelief to take the upper hand. But when it comes to personal battles, trusting God is easier said than done. The words we instruct others seem to be harder to grasp when it already applies to us.

The boiling point of it all is FAITH. Our struggles will either define us or refine us. It doesn’t matter how much you know about God in times like these. What matters most is whether you are applying what you know or not.

After more than seven years, until now, the drawing of the kids serves as a reminder to me that the message of how Jesus calmed the storm is not just about them, but about all of us, including me.