Gloom and Doom

Many a good sailor had perished on these waters. Those who weathered far off seas and survived to tell the tale. But there was something different about this sea that made men quiver with fear. The unknown. Without warning, a perfect day could become a seaman's last. This sea, the only predictable thing about her is that she will always be unpredictable. Peter smiled at the thought, not a bad bit of irony for a fisherman. Yet an undercurrent of dread remained as he watched the small pocket of clouds build on the horizon.

Studying the distant clouds, he decided they were all better safe than sorry. Following the wooden rail that overlooked a calm, peaceful sea, he made his way to the hull of the ship and crossed starboard to descend into the belly. As he expected, everyone was asleep.

"James, John, rise, I need you." James was up in an instant and quickly threw on his tunic. John, on the other hand, was known to have a bit of a temper when roused from sleep. He was awake, but lay there staring angrily at Peter, groggy from his interrupted sleep. There was no need for Peter to explain himself. He simply moved to the stairs and returned to deck. They would follow, both were good sailors.

The darkness of the cabin seemed to follow him. Studying the night sky, everything had disappeared. The big cup. The little cup. The bear and even what the Greeks had called Orion. A flash illuminated the doorway and his two companions. It had begun. What he had most feared.

Running to and fro, the three worked to continually adjust the sails and rudder to compensate for the ship's vacillating bearing. Through the roaring wind, communication from one side to the other was impossible. Never had Peter heard anything equal. The flashes had become constant and the ensuing clasps shook him with nearly the same force as the thirty- to forty-foot swells that threatened to tear every plank from the small boat. Hope was nearly lost now just twenty minutes after the first cloud had been discovered.

In complete and utter panic, Peter stumbled back to the hull and down into the cabin. By this time, Jesus was the last sleeping body on the boat. He ran to the bed, seized the man's shoulders, and violently pulled him awake to a sitting position, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing!"

At that moment, the storm prevailed and the ship was flung down on the raging sea.

Swimming to the surface, Jesus emerged from the water with a shout, "Hush, be still!" The wind and waves stopped immediately. Stars appeared and the moon re-lit the night. Lifting Himself up to stand on the calm water, He found Himself surrounded by the rubble and debris of what had once been His transportation to the other shore. His time had not yet come. "Why were they afraid," He said to Himself, "how is it that they had no faith?"

It happens when everything is right in the world. The hero, a mere security guard, saves the day from the imminent danger that has descended upon the stadium. An entire family finds themselves safely locked in the basement far from all extraterrestrial threat. A love story begins when our two protagonists discover their desire for one another as the scene fades out on an empty rocking chair. Back and forth, the chair rocks, foreshadowing the end of this new found joy. Now comes the twist. The surprise plot. The unexpected. This is the calling card of M. Night Shyamalan. Just when everything is right in the world, it happens.

This year I have taken risks. Risks like leaving North Carolina and reconnecting with my parents. All the while I ponder the outcomes of such risks, I am plagued by this gloom and doom mentality. I envision all the worst case scenarios and expect the unexpected plot twist.

I all too often think gloom and doom, but God is the one who determines the outcome. In this story, the unexpected plot twist occurs when Jesus wakes and calms the storm. He then rebukes the disciples for their lack of faith. But my question remains. Had gloom and doom prevailed, would God still be faithful? Had the boat capsized, killing His disciples, would Jesus not still have cause to rebuke them for their lack of faith?

When gloom and doom seems to prevail in my life, why can I not accept my failed expectations to simply be His fulfilled expectations? As He leads me, not every step I take will seem a successful one. Not every piece to this puzzle will fit together at my appointed time. The truth is that what I may often consider gloom and doom is His sanctifying hand. I am often not ready for the gifts He has waiting.

Jesus showed these men who He was. For three years they observed His love, mercy, and justice. They saw that He is God. Jesus calmed the storm in this story, but does not promise He will calm every successive storm. We are not promised life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. He has conquered the greatest storm, sin and death, but many of these smaller storms we must weather because He is making us more like Himself.

This all fits succinctly into His plan. He loves to give me good and perfect gifts, but often the exponential increase in His pleasure and mine are contingent upon the time involved. Time is what I need. Time to weather the storm.

His answer is rarely no, simply not yet.