When The Wind Blows

But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” – Matthew 14:27

There must be a cosmic joke here somewhere.

Which is more frightening?: strong, gusty winds that threaten to capsize the very boat you are holed in, or a man walking on the water towards you on the very sea that your boat is just about to turn in?

Hardly any choice, you might say.

Actually, there are many of us who feel the same way about life, seeing one’s journey as a series of capsized boats. Too often we are so traumatized by the events of our past, and so fearful of the uncertainties of the future, that we deprive ourselves of the opportunities of the present.

Yet it is in the present when God’s presence is most felt.

And it is in the present when we make our choice — between the strong wind, and the ghostly figure that beckons us to take courage. This is a choice that we will make from time and again, testing us, molding us into the form that God has intended us to become.

This is a choice born out of faith.
A faith tested by the winds.
And in the midst of the winds a voice cries out to our trembling souls, “Take heart, it is I, do not be afraid.” - Red Cerrer (Didache)