Ordinary Time 
Pause
Everyone goes through storms. They are a natural occurrence in life. But sometimes, it seems that as soon as you’re through one storm, another one is just over the horizon.
What gets us through these storms? For seafarers out on the ocean, it’s navigation equipment. GPS, compass, and satellite. What equipment do we use to navigate through life’s storms?
Whatever problems you may be dealing with this week, trust in the tools that God has given us to navigate this unpredictable life: the love of family and friends, the wisdom of Scripture, and the guiding force of the Holy Spirit.
Listen
Later that day, when evening came, Jesus said to them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.” They left the crowd and took him in the boat just as he was. Other boats followed along.
Gale-force winds arose, and waves crashed against the boat so that the boat was swamped.
Mark 4:35-37
Think
Life can change at a moment’s notice.
One moment everything seems perfect — the wind is at your back, the ocean is calm, the sun is shining. The next thing you know you’re being pelted with stinging rain, and your boat is being thrown around in a violent sea. Not only that, but you’ve lost your bearings. Which way do we go from here?
Life, much like the weather, is subject to change. There are beautiful days and dark days. There is sunshine, and there is rain. However, it is during the awful storms that we must focus on the things in our life that are constant. Family, friends, and most important of all, the transformative and unending love of God. Using these navigational tools, we will survive the storm, stay on course, and make it safely to the other side.
Will Bryant
Pray
Almighty God, I ask that you look upon those that are stuck today in the midst of a great storm. Be present with them, comfort them, and guide them out of their troubles. I trust that you will also be with me in my storms. Amen.
Go
“Oh what good is it to live with nothing left to give?
Forget but not forgive, not loving all you see? [...]
You belong with me,
Not swallowed in the sea.”
Coldplay, 2005, “Swallowed in the Sea”
