Note: On Tuesdays, you can find me at Your Daily Tripod, owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.
And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. (Matthew 8:26, NRSVCE)
Dear Jesus:
Seriously? You had to ask them why they were terrified? Many of the disciples were experienced fishers of fish. That just shows me that the storm must have been really, really violent if 
it scared them so much!
And didn’t they do the right thing to wake You up? They were so frightened, and when we’re frightened, who but You should we turn to?
Respectfully, Jesus, maybe their faith wasn’t little at all. Maybe they were coming to understand that the only one who could save them from perishing was You. They didn’t get it completely, since they were so amazed when You saved them. But they knew where to turn in the moment they thought they were lost.
For people like me, the problem isn’t so much crying out for you. It’s thinking for too long in too many situations that I’ve got it covered, and You’re busy with a whole lot of other things and I just won’t bother You. And that, dear Jesus, I think is even worse than the disciples waking You up from a sound sleep because they didn’t know what else to do.
But I get Your point. Terror and hysteria grieve You, because our emotions should never get to that place. If we have faith, the storm outside need not disturb the peace inside. Help me to remember that and to live it, please.
Love, Melanie
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