No Fear

Jesus is fearless. 

 Mark 4:37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

I read that passage and marvel at His peace.  Jesus could sleep soundly even though the boat was being tossed by the wind and filled by the waves.  


Some people stress that the passage demonstrates the humanity of Jesus.  He was asleep because He was exhausted, after having taught the crowds that were chasing after him all day.  It's true that He suffered from the same exhaustion as we sometimes experience.  It's true that He is fully human while being fully divine.


But that's not what gets me when I read this passage.


What grips my heart is the lack of fear.


I don't care how tired I am, if I were in a boat that was foundering, with waves breaking over the sides and filling the boat with water, I'd be terrified.  I'd be crying out to God, praying for mercy, begging Him to take care of me.


Jesus didn't do that.


He knew Who was in control.


He had NO fear.  He had ALL faith.


As soon as they woke Him, He rebuked the wind and shut down the waves, then turned to the disciples and asked, "Why are you so afraid?"


Why, indeed?  You have the Lord of the Universe in the boat with you, guys.  He's completely at peace.  He's sound asleep.  If He's not afraid, what's wrong with YOU?


I marvel at the fact that I am in Christ, yet I worry.  I fret.  I fear.  I cry out to God, asking Him to intervene in my latest crisis.  I beg Him to calm the waves that threaten to break my world apart.  


I think He's still asking, "Why are you so afraid?  Have you still no faith?"


I am IN CHRIST.  His Father is my Father.  His control of the storms of life is the same now as it was then.  NOTHING is outside His power.  NEVER has He failed.  NO harm can ever come to me unless my God wills it for my good.  There is absolutely nothing to fear if you are a child of God. 


Almighty Father, Maker of Heaven and earth, 
Creator of the wind and the storms,
You control every molecule
                      every atom
                       every proton and neutron and electron
            And not one thing is outside of Your power.
So help Your children to rest in You, 
                                       to live in peace,
                                       to walk in faith and trust, 
               resting in Your strength and love,
So that the world will see that You are
                      completely trustworthy
                                         and that Your power 
        is demonstrated in our weakness strengthened by faith
In the name of Jesus, our Saviour and Brother and Friend.  Amen.

Princess Sarah

Sarah has always been a bit of a princess, living up to the meaning of her name. She was a girly little girl, with a vivid imagination, and that made her a favourite among friends who would visit. She had compassion on anyone or anything that was hurt, and I remember clearly the story of Sarah, just 3 and a half, comforting her baby sister Linda, who was crying because Mommy was away, in the hospital.

As she grew up, I was astounded at her creativity. She loved to draw and write stories. She didn't much care for playing outside or doing any yardwork - she preferred to stay in and cook while her siblings were mucking out stalls or mowing the lawn.

I tried to encourage her towards taking nursing training. She adamantly refused. "I don't like snot," she said bluntly. "I don't like bodily fluids."

Imagine my surprise when she got herself a job working in a pig barn! My princess, who formerly poured coffee for patrons at the Seaforth bakery, was pressure-washing stalls, castrating piglets, and feeding great big sows!

She found the love of her life at that barn, and married him a couple of years later. To our delight, they found out they were expecting, and to my joy, I was asked to be there when Sarah gave birth, at home. At least, that was the plan.

Sarah's delivery of her first-born son didn't go according to plan. She ended up with pre-eclampsia, which ruled out her dreamed-of homebirth. She had to endure being induced, then instead of spending the day in her beautiful new bedroom, she had to labour in the hospital room, monitors beeping, nurses watching, doctor checking... not at all the quiet, simple birth she was hoping for.

To add to the discomfort of the continual monitoring of contractions, blood pressure, and baby's heartbeat, Sarah was one of those labouring women who could not keep a thing down. She'd have a few sips of water, and during a particularly hard contraction, up it would come. She'd drink a bit of Gatorade, and the result was the same, albeit slightly more coloured. This happened again and again. The contractions just kept coming, and she just kept on up-chucking.

I watched her steel herself for the next contraction. She'd breathe deeply, willing herself to relax, drawing strength from Tyler who supported her, squeezing her hips or giving her ice, or literally supporting her with his body. During the worst of the contractions, she'd begin to panic with the intensity of the pain, but her midwife assured her "you can do this, Sarah! Breathe!" Sarah did.

As she said in her birth story on her blog, the pushing was the best part of the entire labour. Soon Deklan was in her arms, and Daddy Tyler was letting the tears of joy fall freely down his cheeks.

I stood there, appreciating the moment.

Sarah astounded me with her courage and strength, her willingness to persevere, and her determination to do it without drugs, for the good of her son.

Tyler amazed me with his quiet strength. He did whatever he could to help his dear wife. Sometimes I think that watching someone else in pain is worse than experiencing the pain - I could see on Tyler's face that he felt utterly helpless a few times - there really was nothing more he could do.

Sarah now has to have a new nickname. Instead of Princess Sarah, in my mind she'll be Persevering Sarah. I am so very proud of her!