Ask and ye shall receive: America has got what it has asked for
Inevitably life throws us storms. Sometimes the storm we face may seem like nothing more than a rain shower. Other times it may seem like a Category 5 hurricane. No matter the size of the storm or its scope, we always have two choices in how we respond. We may not be able to control the storm, but we can control our response to it: Discouragement or trust.
It is hard to see the sun peeking through the clouds when we are sinking in discouragement. Have you ever noticed that discouragement and depression seem to get darker with time? If it sinks into darker holes then it will never look up to see the sun ray trying to kiss your face to give you the promise of an end to the lightning,
We can allow our storms to cause a tornado or swirling jealousy revenge, anger, bitterness, or hatred. We can also allow the storm to usher in a time of peace through trusting the Lord. Remember the disciples when they encountered the storm that seemed to be on the verge of drowning them? They ran to Jesus and accused Him of not caring because he was sleeping. The Lord knew what the disciples were not allowing themselves to see. He knew peace could come in the midst of the worst storms.
“Neither death nor life….nor things present nor things to come…..shall be able to separate us from the love of God.” (Romans 8:38-39) This promise we receive in Sacred Scripture also includes times when it seems like Jesus is asleep while we are drowning.
There are 3 things we can do to ensure we have trust rather than discouragement in the storm: Pray, Read, and worship.
Pray: When the disciples were facing the storm, Jesus was asleep until they woke him up. Although Jesus may have been sleeping, he certainly wasn’t unaware of the storm. It took the disciples going directly to him to get him to speak peace to the storm. “Pray about it” seems like a cliché that rolls off the tongue but many never take a moment to actually do it. The disciples spoke up and went to Jesus. If you want to trust Christ, you must first go to Him and tell Him you’re afraid and you want to trust Him.
Read: It is always a great encouragement to include daily Scripture reading into your routine. Reading Sacred Scripture each day gives us fuel that we need to continue trusting God. It gives us a foundation for the day.
Worship: Let’s face it, without worship in our life then our faith is meaningless. Without a strong faith, it’s hard to trust. If you want to strengthen your trust, attend Mass. It’s the greatest form of worship.
The good news is that the storm will pass. The rain will stop. The winds will subside. The sun will come out again.