And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “peace! Be still!” and the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith? – Mark 4:40
“For God alone O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him.” Psalm 62:5
I am learning about storms and calm. I think I do better in storms, times of crisis, times of business. Greg and I have both noted to each other that these quieter times are somewhat unsettling. We have no home, no work, no income. We feel a bit out of place wherever we go because we have been gone so long. It’s funny to me that the disciples seemed more afraid after Jesus calmed the storm than before. And it was when Paul’s traveling companions are without wind for several days that hey truly lose hope. I have seen great blessing during these days – just like Paul on the island of Malta after the storm, but it is still hard not to feel unsettled in the stillness.
But oh the blessings! Most recently, my friend set up her house so accommodating, five blankets on the bed, heater on max, her car to use, an electric blanket on the couch, piles of clothes for me to go through. Other friends I haven’t even seen yet have vehicles waiting for us to use. And just a few days ago in DC, we had the warmest, coziest room. And the wedding weekend made us feel like royalty with good food and drink and entertainment. It rained here and there, and it was all the nicer to be indoors when it was cold and wet outside. On Christmas Day two friends came and saw us and bought me delicious boba tea. o many people gave us blessings – an amazing meal, the best LA donuts, places to stay for one night or seven. It is true, we have been so spoiled in these weeks. It’s hard to be in a different time zone every few days. It’s rough to pack again and again. It’s hard trying to find healthy food, trying to stay as healthy as I encouraged my patients to be. We forget to take those last doxycycline tabs at times. We sigh a lot. We are so happy for internet and time to ourselves, but we miss our dogs and our own space. It’s weird calling people and not worrying about reception or time change.
There are still things on our shoulders, fundraising, insurance, setting up for the next phase of this seemingly endless travel. But there are also times to rest and relax, and that is nice day after day. Oh God, help us to be faithful in the stillness, in the time of others giving to us.