Jesus spoke these words in the midst of a life threatening storm. The disciples believed the end was near as their little boat was about to be swallowed up by forces of nature that were beyond their control. They found themselves in the middle of the lake, far from land, and in the middle of the night. Isn't that usually when the tempest comes?

Well, it does for me.

There have been so many time in my life I was afraid of being swallowed up by forces that were far bigger than my puny boat could handle and certainly beyond my power to manipulate. I've spent way too many sleepless nights trying to devise a clever plan, trying manipulate events or trying just to keep my head above water. At the darkest point in the storm I've accused God with the same words I'm sure the disciples used "are you sleeping? Don't you care? Don't you see what's happening? Do Something!" So why the storm? I've been told that southern California has some of the best weather in the nation. The average temperature is usually in the mid-seventies, with low humidity and more sunshine than any other. People just seem to gravitate to a climate that seems to have forgotten the importance of storms, is predictable, and considered by many to be "perfect". Southern California has wonderfully predictable weather, but it is also on the edge of becoming a desert. While it may have low humidity, it also has a nasty habit of sparking brushfires that consume thousands of homes and the memories and lives that made them. They sacrifice green for browns and tans. They give up rain and take their chances with the Santa Anna Winds. To those who live there is must be worth it. Why the Storms? Because we need them to remind us that there is more in us than in the circumstances that surround us. Life was not meant to be lived in a protected oasis away from every sort of challenge or adventure. Without the storm our spirit would wither and die before we could even put down roots. We would never learn to take that first step into a bigger world.  I am often reminded of this simply truth with a quote I learned years ago: "Sometimes God calms the storm and then sometimes He'll let the storm rage and calm His child." Don't get me wrong, I don't go looking for a storm; I run from them. But when I'm caught up in one I know that I'll survive and that God will get me to the other side. Its only in the storm that I get to hear God whisper in my ear, "Peace, Be Still". Are you waiting for God to whisper in your ear? Then be quiet and listen, He speaking in ways you cannot yet imagine. Do you know someone who's little boat is about to be swamped and needs a friend to speak encouragement and hope into their lives?

Then Make a Difference and offer them Grace!