Quiet.

"That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, 'Let us go over to the other side.' Leaving the crowd behind, they took Him along, just as He was, in the boat. There were also other boats with Him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 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?' They were terrified and asked each other, 'Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him!'"

As I read this passage in Mark the other day, I was refreshed beyond words. The very first thing that struck me in this story is that Jesus told the disciples that they were going over to the other side. Of course, Jesus being God knew they were in for quite the storm, but He journeyed out into the sea anyways. I think that being here in Eugene is kinda like going out into the sea. I felt the calling, and not knowing exactly what we were getting ourselves into, I followed. Now that I am here and still searching for a job, I can feel the storm raging on. Much like the disciples, I am beginning to get a little uneasy. Meanwhile, the Gospel says, Jesus was taking a nap on a cushion. I mean, who sleeps on a cushion in the middle of a storm?! And, unfortunately, much like the disciples, I am rushing over to that cushion to wake Jesus up. I want Him to help me out, to save me from this storm, to get me a stinkin' job! Of course, Jesus gets up, tells the storm who's boss, and all is calm. It is the next statement that hits me like a Mack truck, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" Whoa. Here I am, wondering when this storm is going to subside, hoping to be saved from this "unknown," and I forgot all the while that Jesus can step in anytime and command quiet. I realize that Jesus knowingly took the disciples into the storm to test their faith. He took a nap on that cushion to further test their faith, and finally, had to prove His faithfulness by telling the storm what's up. I want to allow Jesus to take His nap. I want to wait for His timing. So here I am in this proverbial storm, waiting for the Quiet.