Don't freak out

I love it when I read a passage in Scripture and something I hadn't thought of before pops out at me. This morning I was reading Luke 8:22-25.  It’s a very familiar passage. Jesus tells His disciples to hop in the boat so they can go over to the other side of the lake. During the sail over, He falls asleep. And then…

“A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.”

And then the disciples freaked out.

Freaking out is a natural, human reaction, don’t you think? I mean, it says plainly, “they were in great danger.” I freak out if I’m in danger, don’t you? Seems like a reasonable response. In their freaked out state, they woke up Jesus. You know the story. Jesus rebuked the wind and the water, and of course, the wind and the water immediately obeyed. (I wish I always had an immediate obedience response.) I’m thinking they didn't expect what He said next: 

“Where is your faith?” 

Hmmm. Let’s be honest. They were just reacting to a very real situation. They weren't imagining things. This wasn't a hypothetical situation. Their situation was, in essence, reality. Here’s what popped out to me today:

 Jesus is even greater than our reality.

I’m totally grooving on this truth today! Because no matter what is going on around me, Jesus is greater. He doesn't lessen my reality. He doesn't expect me to deny my reality or downplay my reality.

 He wants me to remember that He is GREATER than my reality.

I need to remember when the storms hit (and whew! They seem to be hitting frequently here lately!) that I need to not freak out! I need to remember that Jesus is greater than the storm that threatens to drown me. Basically, as long as I’m hanging out in the same boat with Jesus, there’s no chance that any storm is taking this girl down.