What if we asked sooner?

Yesterday was “one of those days.” My list kept growing, everytime I turned around someone had another question, I realized I had made a couple mistakes that were causing a hold up, and life just seemed to be compounding very quickly!

💸Side note, I wish my money compounded as fast as my to do list somedays! 😂

As I think back about it today, I realized we’re approaching that time of year where we all start to get antsy. It’s mid-February, the sun is staying out longer, the weather is playing some tricks on us, the birds are starting to chirp again and we can sense that spring is around the corner. It’s great, but it also brings a sense of urgency.

As the anticipation builds for warmer weather and less layers, it’s easy to start to rush things. I know I tend to get a little pushier, wanting to have projects finished, money saved, and plans starting to getting made. I start thinking about rodeos and jackpots, riding consistently, what I’m going to do with my garden. Oh, and there’s still all that work stuff. A blessing of a load that seems to continue growing with the man I married. 😂 iykyk!

This season is a feeding ground for the devil! He loves to come in when we’re looking forward to something, but still have a lot going on to wedge himself right between our bright, warm, fun goals and plans, and the problems. This is his perfect time to create a storm that makes us feel like we can’t handle it all!

And you know what… he’s right. We can’t handle it all. BUT, we know someone who can! As it tells us in Mark 8:22, that Jesus calms the storm!

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The story goes like this… One day Jesus decides to go over to the other side of this lake with his disciples. As the disciples are rowing (they didn’t have motors back then) Jesus falls asleep. Then a squall comes down on the lake! The boat is rocking, it’s getting swamped, they think they’re going to drown, they’re hanging on for dear life and the disciples think they’re in great danger.

So they wake Jesus up! Can you imagine what it was like deciding which one of the disciples was going to wake up the one and only Jesus? They say “master, master, we’re going to drown.”

In true Jesus fashion, he gets up, rebukes the wind and raging waters. The storm subsides, everything is calm and he asks the disciples, “where is your faith?”

🤯 Mindblown, the disciples say to each other, “who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey!”

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So my thought after reading this is, what would have happened if they would have asked Jesus sooner? What would happen if we ask Jesus for guidance, safety, patience, and calmness before the storm happens? What would happen if we had faith that he can and he will calm the storms?

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Last night in the midst of my storm, I prayed for Jesus to help me through. To help me get it all done, to prioritize, to have patience, to think clearly. And you know what? My husband stepped in and helped me finish a project last night. My printer finally worked perfectly. The lines I cut with the paper cutter were straight and I was able to focus and finish my letter I’d worked on over an hour in minutes!

So today, and everyday you encounter a storm, turn to Jesus, say a prayer, take a few deep breaths, and have faith that he’ll calm the winds and the waters!

📝 Camarie Roorda

📸 Hailey Hepperly