SCARED SENSELESS

SCARED SENSELESS

 

They began to be afraid, but he said to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid.” – John 6:20

 

When was the last time you were scared senseless?

It was the day of our thesis proposal defense. It was the day I had been worrying and dreading about for the longest time. But it was also the day I wanted to get over with, since I was already tired of having to review and argue about everything over and over again. I knew we were prepared but I didn’t know if it was enough for the panelists to give us a passing verdict.

The morning before the defense, I couldn’t concentrate. I was dead scared. We had already failed once. What if this one isn’t good enough again? What if we mess up? What if I mess up?

And then it was time. As the four of us scrambled to get everything ready, I suddenly felt an odd sense of calm. I felt like I was at the point of no return, and the only way to go was forward. I guess it was then I finally let go and let God. I didn’t know what was going to happen, but God assured me that there was nothing to be afraid of because He was already there. He was with me and He will be with me.

By the way, we passed our defense. Tina Matanguihan (tina.matanguihan@gmail.com)

 

REFLECTION:

Don’t worry about tomorrow (or later). God is already there.

 

Lord, open the eyes of my heart so I can see You even when I am afraid.

TRUST IS THE KEY

 

When it comes to the success of relationships, the essential ingredient is trust. Without it, a relationship won’t grow. If trust has been broken for whatever reason, it can be very difficult to restore it. When we are talking about our relationship with God, it is an objective fact that we can trust God to be faithful to His promises. However, the way we judge our past experiences may make it less or more difficult for us to do this. Sometimes our felt experience of certain situations is that of being let down by God. We know that this isn’t true, but that is our felt experience. In this sort of situations, we have to go to prayer and seek the grace of the Holy Spirit to come to a better understanding of what we experience.

Peter is called out of the boat by Jesus. Peter has to trust that if he steps on to the water, there will be some sort of miracle to keep him from sinking. He knows what happens if one tries to walk on water in the normal course of events. Peter trusts Jesus implicitly. Yet we see how quickly trust can be affected by distractions of the wind and the rain. Worries about the effect of these things cause Peter to begin to doubt and he then begins to slip into the water causing him to cry out for help.

The image of slowly sinking into the water is very powerful as we can all relate to the experience of fear and imminent death due to being submerged in water. It is not a nice experience or memory. Perhaps we can turn this image on its head and use it in a reverse argument: if you do not want to drown in the world of worries and sin, then trust in the Lord and He will keep your head above the water. This is completely true because if we place our faith in Jesus and entrust our lives to Him, we will be like the sheep being cared for by the Good Shepherd. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

 

Reflection Question:

What are the worries and distractions in my life that keep me from completely trusting in the Lord?

 

Lord Jesus, of all people to have walked the earth, You are the most trustworthy. Help me to let go of having to be in control of my life and allow You to lead me according to Your will.

 

Blessed Wando, pray for us.