Is life a comedy or a tragedy? Are we the hero or the victim? Or maybe the villain? Is the world descending into chaos and dystopia or are we on a path of ever-increasing prosperity and progress? The stories we tell orient us to our place in the world and our role in the story.
The Bible tells the story of a loving God and a messy people. There is a beginning and an end. Major themes of creation, redemption, and sanctification trace the arc of this grand narrative. And Jesus Christ is the center of it all – the great hero of the story who comes incognito to rescue and redeem his broken creation.
Invocation
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Invitation
O God, you are the beginning, the middle, and the end. You are all in all. Lead me. Help me. Forgive me. Keep me from wandering and weariness. Keep my love ready and willing to serve You by serving others. Praise and honor be to You, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, One God now and forever. Amen.
Confession
O God, how can I believe without your help. I am filled with doubt. “What about . . . ?” “Is it really true?” “How do I really know you’re there? That you’re listening? That you care about me?” I confess with honesty all my fear and disbelief. Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me. Melt me. Mold me. Fill me. Use me. I believe; help my unbelief.
Word: Matthew 14:32-33
“And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’”
Meditation: A Calm Place by Susan Becher Schultz
In therapy, there are a number of coping strategies to help soothe the nervous system. A favorite of mine that I often utilize is called my ‘safe space.’ My therapist asked me to describe in detail a place that felt completely safe. There aren’t many rules to this. It can be a real place or a fictional one. What’s important is naming as many details as possible so that you are able to return to it whenever you need to.
I’ll share a little about mine with you. Feel free to create your own if you haven’t done this before. Mine is a small cottage in the English countryside. It’s tucked away in a forest, not far from a small village. There’s a bridge that crosses over a babbling brook and into the village beyond. There’s a garden full of wildflowers in the back. Sometimes I picture myself tending to this garden when I’m stressed at work. Inside are a couple of cats and a bookshelf always full of new books. There’s even a desk that looks out the front window where I write my own novels. Since creating this fictional place, in real life, I’ve written one book and am starting a second.
This safe space has become almost real to me. Much of what I’ve dreamed about it I’ve incorporated into my real-life home. My husband won’t let me move to England, but I think I’ve convinced him to go with me to visit. What’s beautiful to me is that it’s always there for me to go to. When I was in an abusive relationship, nowhere felt safe. It felt like my abuser infiltrated every corner of my mind. But in my cottage, it’s just me. Well, and the fictional cats.
I’ve also been working with my counselor on finding calm inside my body. In the cycle of abuse, there are periods of perceived ‘calm,’ where the abuse feels like it has stopped. It’s part of what makes the cycle so hard to get out of because you believe your abuser is finally going to change. But it is always followed by some inciting incident, one of which the abuser will make the victim feel is their fault. And the cycle repeats.
There is a profound difference between this perceived period of calm in an abusive relationship, and an actual calm state in a healthy one. Yet they feel trickily similar. Now that I’m in a healthy relationship, I’m always worried the tide will turn. I feel like I can’t trust myself, that when things go well it will be closely followed by everything going wrong.
I feel Peter’s relief when the wind dies down in this verse. For him, this entire situation is terrifying. He doesn’t feel safe. He perceives it to be dangerous. The boat is his calm place, and the lake stirs up his greatest fears.
What Peter can’t see is because Jesus is there, what would normally be a dangerous situation is made safe. Because of the presence of Jesus, a calm place is possible where it otherwise wouldn’t be. As I continue to learn how to access safety within myself, I’m finding it’s possible to access that safety outside of myself too. Whether it’s feeling the presence of Jesus or feeling Jesus’ love through another person, I’m beginning to recognize I’m still safe, even out here on the water.
Almighty Father, thank you for providing safe people and places for me to return to. Be with me as I turn to your presence for comfort in situations that don’t feel safe. Amen.
Benediction
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Amen. (Rom. 15:13)
Benediction
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Amen. (Rom. 15:13)