Faith is the gate through which grace enters  

Lent is drawing to an end. We will join the crowds crying “Hosanna in the highest!”, honoring our Lord on Palm Sunday only to betray Him a few days later. Yes, it is difficult to stand by and watch the cruelty inflicted upon Him. Even his best friends deserted Him. But perhaps what causes us to run comes from a deeper place in our heart. This scene, this situation, is completely out of anyone’s control. Except God’s. 

“[W]e’re in a perpetual struggle of surrendering to God and turning away from Him as we seek our own will. And it carries through into prayer too. When we’re troubled and we feel more of the weight of our cross, there is often the moment where (to His great delight!) the heart is ready to surrender to God, ready to name the pain and be still with Him. The Divine Healer is ready to heal that wound to the extent we let Him into it. Then in the very next breath, the mind flips right back into scan-and-plan mode. We go right back into mentally reviewing the details of our ‘cross’, scanning the possible actions and outcomes, imagining the possible conversations to steer the situation in the direction we want it to go. And we can be talking to God the entire time, but it is a one-way conversation talking at Him rather than with Him” (Preparing for Eternity).

For all humans, there is one or more aspects of life for which disorder cannot be tolerated. Our own self-control then is co-opted by our need to control circumstances, situations, and even people. Our notion of being ‘perfect’ is defined not as one filled with God’s love but, rather, one in which all appearances are ordered and ‘good’. 

How often do we battle with perfectionism as if it were the root problem? It is a symptom of a deeper issue. Fear manifests perfectionism which is then perceived to be the answer to that fear. It spawns controlling behavior which itself is a self-protection device. Will life come to an end, will the world stop turning on its axis, if ____ doesn’t turn out as I think it should (insert your own worry)? Perfectionism leads us to excessively focus on potential outcomes rather than live in the grace of the present moment. 

And a great storm of wind arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care if we perish?” 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. (Mark 4:37-39)

We avoid things we cannot control but eventually something happens beyond our control and we cannot side-step it. Perfectionism and its controlling behaviors leads us into angst in the midst of storms. Like Peter when the storm hit their fishing boat, we ‘wake up’ Jesus in the midst of the storm thinking “How could He be sleeping during this?” and end up telling Him what needs to be done. 

He meant to pass by them…But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; have no fear.”

(Mark 6:48, 50)

And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water.” … So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus; but when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” (Matthew 14:28-30)

In other storms, we only go to Him after we have exhausted ourselves by every means available trying to take control of the situation on our own. Like Peter, we again tell Him what we think He needs to do. Our self-centeredness causes us to sink. 

At the wedding feast of Cana, Mary instructs the servants to do as Jesus’ instructs. She doesn’t give them instructions or lengthy explanations as a means to ensure the outcomes she desires. She doesn’t say, “Make sure the best of wine is found so this family is not humiliated!”. She leaves everything, all outcomes, entirely up to her Son. And so should we. 

It is faith that calms the storms in our life. It is in the darkness of the storm that Jesus comes to us. Only when we recognize our powerlessness does Jesus move. It is our faith to which He responds, it is our faith that moves Him. 

Faith is the gate through which grace enters. In this short time left of Lent, take on faith and grace will conquer your fear. 

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam 😊

(Image by Rembrandt, public domain WikiArt)