One of the  hardest things I have ever done, was watch my daughter struggle with Crohn's Disease when she was 13. It was heart wrenching for us as parents. 

My brother struggled significantly with depression among other things . It is not solved in a day, there is no operation that will make it go  away. It is a long slow painful journey. Some people recover beautifully and some do not.  

There have been mornings when my heart was very heavy. Fear was nipping at every corner of my mind. "Where and how is this going to end?" Reading and writing out scripture has been very helpful. It reminds me of how big God is. 

It is so easy to allow the challenges- whatever they are to become bigger then the One who sees all things.

I was talking to God the other day on the topic of peace. I was feeling very little of it that day. I, like many people have a terrible habit of tying my peace and mental well being to the circumstances that seem to be screaming all around me. 

I asked the Lord, how do I learn to do that Lord, find peace in the midst of storms? He reminded me of the story of Peter walking on water ( Matthew 14:22-32). When you read and think about that story, you gotta wonder " why would Jesus who is all powerful, not keep the water smooth like glass while his brave disciple is walking on water?"

That is not what happened, there was a crazy wind and big waves! They distracted and terrified this disciple and immediately he began to sink. It is encouraging however, that as soon as Peter calls out to his Lord in terror, Jesus reaches out His hand and pulls him up and rebukes Peter for so quickly believing that the wind and waves would change his ability to walk on water. 

I confess, I do not like big wind and waves, just like I do not like facing the suffering I have and do see around me. Life is seldom without trials for any of us. One storm seems to lead to the next. How we respond to the storm is a big deal. 

When I talked to God about  this matter of peace, He simply reminded me to keep my eyes locked on Him and to remember that He is and always will be big enough for whatever trials and storms we must go through. My peace or lack of peace, is tied to where I allow my eyes and to heart settle.

Keeping our eyes locked on this truth is exactly what leads us to be people who" walk on water" in the midst of tremendous storms.