When Abbey was little and still taking naps, she used to love for me to read her stories before drifting off to sleep. We’d read stories like, “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” and “If You Give a Pig a Pancake”, “Good Night Moon” and “The Hungry Caterpillar”. And her favorite stories of all came from the pages of her little children’s bible. In this little bible were beautiful illustrations and simple rhyming bible stories that were easy to remember. 

One story, we came back to again and again, was the story of the storm on the sea in Mark chapter 4. Jesus and his disciples had gotten into a little fishing boat to row across the sea of Galilee when suddenly a storm appeared. The disciples were afraid, and they cried, “Jesus don’t you care that waves are splashing everywhere”. And Jesus got up and said, “Be calm be still oh wind and sea, and it was calm immediately”. Then He turned to his disciples and said, “Have faith in God He’s always near”.

Over time this became our go-to-story whenever things got tough for her. I’d quote the rhyming rhythmic words and remind her of how God was with her, and that she didn’t need to be afraid or upset. I’d comfort her with this one truth, “If God can calm the wind and sea then He can calm the storm inside of you and me”. And more often than not during times like these, she was not the only one being comforted by these words. It was my heart as her mom that also needed calming. The storm inside of me that needed to be quelled.

Science has shown us that when it comes to storms the calmest place to be is actually at the center of that storm. In a hurricane and in a tornado, this is called the eye of the storm. While everything else is swirling around with great force and wreaking havoc, there is only a quiet silence at the center within. This natural phenomena tangibly illustrates for us that while life’s storms can be crazy and tumultuous on the outside, we can actually remain calm and centered within despite the hard circumstances that surround us. 

One of my favorite songs is called, “In the Eye of the Storm” by Ryan Stevenson:

In the eye of the storm 
You remain in control 
In the middle of the war 
You guard my soul 
You alone are the anchor 
When my sails are torn 
Your love surrounds me 
In the eye of the storm

This song is such a beautiful reminder that we do not need to fear when the storms of life suddenly appear. Even right now as we are enduring all that is going on in the world around us, we do not need to be afraid. This same Jesus that was able to calm the wind and sea is completely capable of calming the storm inside of you and me. He alone is our anchor, tethering us to Himself, The Rock of Ages, so that we will not be blown away. And He is there surrounding us with His ever-present love in the darkest times of life. He is trustworthy and will see us through, for He is with us in the middle of that storm. What hope this simple truth can bring us in the midst of the storms that often surround us in this life.