No it's NOT ok!

About two months ago, we got some upsetting news about my sister Amy. She has been battling breast cancer for almost five years now. At the end of May, they found a new spot on her scans. This time it was on her brain. Yeah, that’s kind of a big deal. So naturally, we all freaked out over that one. It’s bad enough when it went to her bones, but we knew that cancer in her bones isn’t necessarily life threatening. But any time you mess with someone’s brain, you don’t know what is going to happen.

A little bit later, my sister-in-law Jenn called my mom to see what was going on with Amy. Again, I was with my mom when she was talking to Jenn. While she was talking to her, my three year old niece was in the background freaking out because she got two drops of water on her shirt she was wearing. Jenn kept telling her that it was ok, but Emily kept saying back, “No, it’s NOT ok!” My mom was laughing at that and told me what was going on. When Jenn got back on the phone, the conversation turned serious again, and she continued to tell Jenn what the news was.

I was struck by how ironic it was that we thought it was funny that Emily was freaking out over what was clearly not a big deal. I mean, really? Two drops of water on your shirt? Come on, kid, relax. What’s the problem? Don’t you trust your mom when she tells you it‘s not a big deal? It’s under control. But to a three year old girl named Emily, that apparently was a big deal to her. And all she could think was, “No, it’s NOT ok!”

The thought struck me right then and there that God might be in heaven looking down on us saying the same thing. I mean, really? One spot on Amy’s brain? Come on kids, relax. What’s the problem? Don’t you trust your Father in heaven when he tells you that nothing is impossible for him? It’s under control. But to us, it is a big deal. All we can think was, “No, it’s NOT ok!”

I don’t say that to make light of her situation. But I think that God sometimes wants to give us strength, courage, and peace, and all we can do is think, “No, it’s NOT ok!” We trade his peace for our panic.

It reminds me of the story in the Bible when Jesus was in a boat with some of his friends. They were fishing, and Jesus was laying down sleeping. A big storm came up and the guys were getting pretty scared. But Jesus kept sleeping. They went to wake him up and told them what was going on. I’m sure they were freaking out about what was going on (no, Jesus, this storm is NOT ok!). Jesus just spoke the words, “Peace, be still” and the storm stopped. It was almost like he was telling them, “What’s the problem? Don’t you know I am here? Don’t you realize I have everything under control? It IS ok.”

There are so many things in our lives that we can apply that to. Everyone has their own story here, I’m sure. But since it’s my blog, I’ll apply it to me here. I have mentioned before, but through some of the things that I have lived through, I have wondered where God was.

Are you there, God?

Do you hear me?

Do you see what’s happening?

No, it’s NOT ok!!!!



But he is here.

He does see.

He does know.

All he has to do is say the word, and the storms will stop.


Sometimes he does that.

But sometimes he allows the storms to continue, and he sits down right next to us and keeps us safe through it.

I remember a friend of mine named Kari telling the kids at the camp I worked at (and all of us on staff, too) a story one night about some of the difficulties she went through with her own family and how she had a hard time dealing with it. As part of her talk, she played a song called “Sometimes He Calms the Storm.” The chorus has these lines:

Sometimes he calms the storm
With a whispered “Peace be still”
He can settle any sea,
But it doesn’t mean he will.
Sometimes he holds us close
And lets the wind and waves go wild
Sometimes he calms the storm
And other times he calms his child.

Did you catch that last line? Other times he calms his child. God can bring peace-- either to the situation itself, or to the person dealing with it. Either way, he wants to tell us that it will be ok. I think I need to start agreeing with him on that one. It’s easier said than done, for sure. But I believe that God can and will help us out when we lean on him.

So hey, I’ll trade you-- my panic for your peace, ok? Cool, thanks.