6-18-24 - Swamped

You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.

We often use “swamped” to describe our schedule or workload. Its essential meaning is scarier – a boat getting covered by water in a big wave, making everything wet and at risk of capsizing or being swept away - literally overwhelmed. There are times in our lives when we get swamped, and by lot more than work.

Our current times are “swampy” for many – emerging from a global pandemic, with new viral threats appearing all the time; a rancorous election and extreme political divisions threatening our civil order; a virulent resurfacing of racist speech and action; the promise and dangers of AI and new technology; extreme weather and further evidence of irreparable harm to our earth and environment – our decks are swamped regularly. It’s scary how suddenly we can go from battling a strong head wind to being buffeted in a gale.

Which kind of puts us in the boat with those disciples. “A great gale arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped.”
We need to remember who they had along in that boat – the Lord of heaven and earth. Though he didn't seem to be much help: "But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion."

The best thing we can do when we’re overwhelmed by fear or adversity is to stay as close as possible to that guy asleep on the cushion, because he has power we do not have; he has peace we cannot manufacture; he has love way bigger than our fear. As the bible reminds us, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear...” (I John 4:18a) We can, like those disciples, call on Jesus to rise up, not to join the anxiety, but to calmly command the winds to cease and the waves to be still.

Are there situations in your life in which you feel your boat is being swamped by the wind-whipped waves? Can you recall the times when the storm was stilled? Bishop Gene Robinson was once quoted as saying something like, “Sometimes God stills the storm, and sometimes God stills us within the storm.”

Many of these storms are still with us. Yet we can sail on, for we know that the God-Life is one of peace amidst unpeaceful circumstances, love in the face of fear. I pray we hold so firmly to that love that fear cannot gain a foothold.

© Kate Heichler, 2024. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.