June 23, 2022 – Words of Wisdom, Dolly Parton

Adjusting Our Sails

“We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.”  Dolly Parton

“On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.”  And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him.  A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped.  But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”  He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm.  He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?”   And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” Mark 4:35-41

Adjusting Our Sails

The disciples had been on the sea for some time, fighting against the wind to the point that they believed the ship may sink at any moment. Jesus was with them, but he was asleep in the stern. That is an image that just seems to be out of place. A group of painters were once asked to paint a scene that depicted peace. Several of them painted the usual scenes we would associate with peace: quiet meadows, sleeping animals or babies, a pond without any ripples. But one painter approached the task differently. He painted a scene that showed the winds howling, trees bent over and darkness enveloping the landscape. And in one small corner, there was a bird sitting in the protection of the nest, feeding her babies and protecting them from the wind. And the nest has this soft glow as if they are protected by some divine source. That scene is the same as the scene of Jesus asleep on a boat as it is about to be swamped in a storm – and the implication is clear: Jesus is our source of peace when the storms of life rage around us.

The winds of trials, tribulations and challenges will continually blow in and through our lives – it is the saga of being human. And we may not always find peace within the storms of life, but as Dolly Parton writes, we can adjust our sails, to help us steer toward calmer waters. Very rarely will we be able to encounter peace for an extended period of time – unless we have the opportunity to find a place that is tucked away from the everyday hustle and bustle of life. But generally that kind of peace is short lived – fleeting for most of us in this world. So, because we know we will continue to face the storms of life, knowing that Jesus is the peace that surpasses all understanding will always remind us that there is peace on the horizon.

Let us pray,

Lord Jesus, you are the peace that surpasses all understanding because you are our ultimate hope and help in life. Give me peace today – and if not today, bring me peace tomorrow. This is my hope. Amen.

Pastor Dave