Sleeping Through the Storms ~ by TheNorEaster

After several days of trying to pull my thoughts into words this gentleman has done it for me. With His permission I am reposting this. For more of his writing, you can find him here

 

“Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples woke him up, shouting, ‘Lord, save us! We are going to drown!’

“Jesus responded, ‘Why are you so afraid? You have so little faith!’ Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.”

~Matthew 8:24-26 NLT

I get desperately exhausted every time I consider this passage. The miracle used to amaze me, but now something very different does: Jesus is sleeping.

Outside.

 

On a boat.
In the middle of a storm.

He has been serving God so diligently and so determinedly — and so passionately to the point of exhaustion — that the fierce winds and cold rains and frigid waves do not even phase Him as He sleeps.

He sleeps.
Finally, He sleeps.
At long last, He can get some rest.

I am amazed at the enormously immense burdens He must have carried that led Him to such a profound point of exhaustion. When I consider my own cross, it makes my head spin.

I’m tired.
All the time.
I’m so tired I’m just tired.

But, I can’t sleep through the storms. I see the winds and feel the rains. And my heart jumps every time the freezing waves wash over me. I can taste the salt in my sleep.

I sleep.
But, never rest.
My heart is just too heavy.

I know to be still and know. And I know to trust His sovereignty. That it will all work out in the grand scheme. And in the end. Greater good, and all that. All that.

But, the silence
of an impossible God
keeps up my heart restless.

The God who makes all things possible has created, to my own small mind, the impossible. And mine is a life so impossible I do not want to know what I know. Not anymore I don’t.

I can’t
even explain
what happened.

And while I always can find someone to listen, I know of no one who can understand, who has been where I am. Difficult to do, actually, since I do not even know where I am.

It’s a place
beyond broken, where
you drift in glorious defeat.

And it is a place where all arguments are absurd, every insult stems from the sin of pride, opinions are the nemesis of truth, and knowledge is completely meaningless.

And people who
do not understand
think you do not care.

And yet, you want so much to find some way to tell them that you do care, but the only words you can find to explain your defeat are that you don’t. That you don’t care.

Listen.
I do care.
All I do is care.

Ideals are the dreams of blind men. And I am just not a man consumed by the issues of the day. Nor am I the one to take up the cause of the moment. And I’ll tell you why.

Because
I am tired.
I’m so tired I’m just tired.

And I still can’t sleep through the storms. Instead, I am the man of the sea terrified by what I see. And I just want to wake Him up, to calm the storm so I can rest.

Yes, Lord,
I am terrified.
Please, let me rest.

 

 

 

Advertisement

First blogger to visit me..

Our first blogger came to visit us and spend the night at our home! yay!! we have met many, but we always travel to see them.  So this was our first!!!

Yes, you guessed it! the mysterious Mr Noreaster Dude and his dog SAM..both were exceptionally well house trained!

Seriously, this visit was a blessing! All kidding aside..

Noreaster is a very close friend, because of Jesus.  Really.  We both have so many similiar storms, and so many of the same loves, and dislikes…he is truly my brother.

This meeting fell together in a few hours texting…and that was it.  So God to just arrange and pull it all together.  I really needed some encouragement, and he was there. AMAZING!!  Sam is the best behaved dog, and was an angel here in my house..my dogs..well..bad bad bad…

SO you can say that the princess (and yes he did see my tiara) had dinner ready ( and that doesn’t usually happen), trina microwaved it, and made brownies..hahaha sooo ready for the unexpected.  And he even had “dippy eggs” for breakfast. 

Noreaster, you have blessed my life! thank you thank you thank you!  my prayers are with you, and praying for GOD’s directions to be so clear to your heart. Praying also for your peace..you are an amazing man! love you!

Storm Stories-Overcomer-Refuge

Noreaster is hosting a month of Storm Stories, today is my day to write for him.  But if you want to read it, you got it..you need to go there and read.  Please read the other posts while you are there and check in throughout the month.  I am very excited and encouraged about what has begun, and what will be presented there…so just do it!  It easy..just click on the pic “Storm Stories” ..see wasn’t that easy!

I believe that God is my refuge, my hiding place, my strong tower, and always with me.  Sounds kind of big headed, but seriously the Bible says its true, so Truth it is!  When you are caught in a storm (and yes you will), remember who goes there with you.  Peace and love…see you over at the Noreaster’s!

Storm Stories…

If you want to know more about Storm Stories or if you would like to participate, please follow the link on the side bar, and click on the page Storm Stories.   I would just bet you have been through a storm or maybe you are in one now…. please check this out, you don’t want to miss it!  The Noreaster is hosting this (really he is the brains behind it..).  go now..check it out!

Out of the Shadows (written by TheNorEaster)

I asked NorEaster if he would be a guest writer for me over the holidays, and he was very happy to help me out.  I was not near ready for what he wrote.  In the way that only he could write, I know that God reached through him to heal a piece of my heart, and encourage me to keep pressing on..Thank you NorEaster, love you brother!

———————————————————–

So where does an idea come from? Many places. But since today I am a guest writer on Darla’s blog, I thought I might talk about the origin of just one idea that I had. This idea eventually became an Essay entitled The Lord of The Harvest.

 You see, a while ago, someone–nevermind who–published a certain post. Shortly afterwards, a few people–nevermind who–said a few things in the comments of that same post which had offended Darla, and that very quickly became obvious to me. Of course, her husband was probably pretty upset about the whole thing as well; I know I certainly would have been if such things were said to my wife (if I had a wife, that is).

 But what was said–or who said what–is of little significance for several reasons. First and foremost, love keeps no record of wrongs. Second, the matter has long since been resolved; I know this because I do a lot of lurking. And finally, I have no wish to re-open old wounds. So I’ll let the matter rest. And for those of you wondering, not even Darla knows what I’m talking about; she only found out about the origin of this idea when she received this Essay in an e-mail.

 So don’t ask. Because I’m not telling.

 But when I saw what had happened, that my beloved sister in Christ had been offended by her own spiritual siblings, I quite naturally got upset. And all of this happened on a blog that anyone could view at any time. After a while, I realized that there was more at stake than just Darla’s honor. As Keith Green has said:

 “This generation of believers…that you and me are a part of…we’re responsible for this generation of souls. All over the world. We’re responsible for ’em!”

 That’s a pretty big responsibility. One not to be taken lightly. So to address the grand scope of the matter–which, as Annie has so eloquently said, “Human souls lie on the other side of our bickering”–I went back to my Bible and read, intensely, the parables of The Four Soils and The Sheep & The Goats (Matthew 13:3-9 and Matthew 25:31-46). But then, Matthew 13:12 suddenly jumped out at me: “To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understand they have will be taken away from them” (New Living Translation).

 Suffice it to say, I wanted to listen. I wanted the seed planted in my soul so long ago–now quite possibly a plant–to be rooted in fertile soil. And I wanted others to see the importance of such nourishment as well. Bickering among The Body is a cancer that destroys the significance of The Gospel. Like a precious, life-giving seed scattered carelessly along a footpath, in shallow soil with underlying rock, or among thorns, The Good News can easily get lost in this fallen world. And Jesus has made quite clear the consequences of spiritual complacency–and Paul himself addressed bickering among the parts of The Body.

 So what started as a quest for me to defend Darla’s honor became a calling for me to remind my spiritual brothers and sisters that God is watching every word we write, and we will answer for every careless act of speech. And if just we see one beautiful human being–created in The Image of God–offended by something we write on a blog, think about what God sees.

 He sees the woman who still can’t sleep months after having an abortion, lurking in the shadows of our blogs, seeking the forgiveness of our loving God.

 He sees the man who still suffers from depression a year after his divorce, lurking in the shadows of our blogs, seeking the healing of our gracious God.

 He sees the teenage girl in high school struggling with suicidal thoughts, lurking in the shadows of our blogs, seeking the infinite love of our merciful God.

 He sees the little boy shuffled from foster home to foster home, lurking in the shadows of our blogs, seeking a Father who will never leave him nor forsake him.

 And what do such lost souls see when they come across our blogs? Forgiveness? Compassion? Mercy? Grace? Love? Or just a bitter battle over who is right about certain Scripture passage? Maybe a cruel joke? Or do they see your malicious intolerance of the very sins for which they seek God’s forgiveness?

 Whatever it is, we will know soon enough. Because each of us must answer for what we have done, what we have said. We can be The Sheep on His right or we will be The Goats on His left.

 I’m hoping to be a Sheep myself. And I’m pretty sure Darla already is.

 I have to admit, when Darla commented on The Lord of The Harvest, I did have a certain satisfaction simply because I knew that the whole idea had started as an attempt to defend her dignity. Fortunately, as I have said, that matter has since been resolved. And the idea evolved into something more–that we must always be mindful of our words, our deeds, and our blogs. It might sound like a pretty big burden, but, really, it isn’t if we simply choose our words carefully.

 As I write this now, I realize that even though Darla did not know where the idea came from, it seems God has graciously returned the favor. You see, she’s a pretty stubborn woman. When I wanted to be left alone, she wouldn’t have it. She reached out. And she kept reaching. She also shared her own testimony. From that, I have remembered that all things really are possible with God. You see, like Darla, I have had many losses in this crazy life. She has been where I am. And she is where I want to be. Several times, I have told God, “I don’t know what to do! I want to move forward, but I don’t know how! HELP!”

 The answer was right in front of me.

 In The Overcomer.