Today, in the Gospel of Mark, we read that Jesus calmed the storm when He and the apostles were out at sea. We all know this story. Jesus had fallen asleep when a storm began to brew. The apostles, fearing they would capsize and drown, became terrified. So they woke up Jesus and said to Him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Jesus then calmed the storm and asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”
Jesus didn’t ask “Do you not have faith?” He asked, “Do you not yet have faith?” The word yet is an integral part of that question. We could ask the same question to ourselves when we encounter difficulties in life or when we feel sad and alone. These are the times when we may feel like we are perishing. And sometimes we may even feel like God doesn’t care.
How many times, out of despair, have we asked Him, “Jesus, where are you?” We allow fear to take over. We allow the outside world to convince us that God doesn’t care, that we are not lovable, and that we are all alone. But we are never alone. No matter what we go through in life, Christ is there for us. Christ is there with us. In those times, He could ask us the same question, “Do you not yet have faith?”
So how do we build that trust we should all have in God? We get to know Him. We read stories in the Bible or other religious books. We talk to Him in prayer. We count our blessings. We think about the love we have for our children or the love our parents have for us, and we multiply that love by a thousand.
Our Heavenly Father loves us more than we can even begin to imagine. And that love should calm our inner storm. That love should keep us from giving in to sadness, anxiety, and fear.
Yes, we may still feel these emotions, as they are a normal part of being human. But the difference between having faith and not having faith is the ability to acknowledge those feelings, lay them at the foot of the cross, and simply say, “Jesus, I trust you to calm this storm.” And then believe that He will.
Hoy, en el Evangelio de Marcos, leemos que Jesús calmó la tormenta cuando Él y los apóstoles estaban en el mar. Todos conocemos esta historia. Jesús se había quedado dormido cuando comenzó una tormenta. Los apóstoles, temiendo volcarse y ahogarse, se aterrorizaron. Entonces despertaron a Jesús y le dijeron: “Maestro, ¿no te importa que nos hundamos?” Entonces Jesús calmó la tormenta y les preguntó: “¿Por qué tenían tanto miedo? ¿Aún no tienen fe?”
Jesús no preguntó: “¿No tienen fe?” Preguntó: “¿Aún no tienen fe?” La palabra aún es una parte integral de esa pregunta. Podríamos hacernos la misma pregunta cuando encontramos dificultades en la vida o cuando nos sentimos tristes y solos. Estos son los momentos en los que podemos sentir que estamos pereciendo. Y a veces incluso podemos sentir que a Dios no le importa.
¿Cuántas veces, por desesperación, le hemos preguntado: “Jesús, dónde estás?” Permitimos que el miedo se apodere de nosotros. Permitimos que el mundo exterior nos convenza de que a Dios no le importa, que no somos dignos de ser amados y que estamos completamente solos. Pero nunca estamos solos. No importa lo que pasemos en la vida, Cristo está ahí para nosotros. Cristo está allí con nosotros. En esos momentos, Él podía hacernos la misma pregunta: “¿Aún no tenéis fe?”
Entonces, ¿cómo aumentamos esa confianza que todos deberíamos tener en Dios? Llegamos a conocerlo. Leemos historias en la Biblia u otros libros religiosos. Hablamos con Él en la oración. Nos demos cuenta de nuestras bendiciones. Pensamos en el amor que tenemos por nuestros hijos o en el amor que nos tienen nuestros padres, y multiplicamos ese amor por mil.
Nuestro Padre Celestial nos ama más de lo que podemos siquiera empezar a imaginar. Y ese amor debería tranquilizar nuestra tormenta interior. Ese amor debería impedirnos ceder a la tristeza, la ansiedad y el miedo.
Sí, es posible que todavía sintamos estas emociones, ya que son una parte normal del ser humano. Pero la diferencia entre tener fe y no tener fe es la capacidad de reconocer esos sentimientos, ponerlos al pie de la cruz y simplemente decir: “Jesús, confío en ti para tranquilizar esta tormenta”. Y luego creer que lo va a hacer.
Susan Ciancio has a BA in psychology and a BA in sociology from the University of Notre Dame, with an MA in liberal studies from Indiana University. For the past 19 years, she has worked as a professional editor and writer, editing both fiction and nonfiction books, magazine articles, blogs, educational lessons, professional materials and website content. Thirteen of those years have been in the pro-life sector. Currently Susan freelances and writes weekly for HLI, edits for American Life League, and is the executive editor of Celebrate Life Magazine. She also serves as executive editor for the Culture of Life Studies Program—an educational nonprofit program for K-12 students. You can reach her at slochner0.wixsite.com/website.
Feature Image Credit: Vytautas Markūnas SDB, cathopic.com/photo/10750-oceans
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