Living in time
Like all other experiences, we undergo the storms of life in doses–one day, one hour, one minute, one second at a time. God knows we, as material creatures, can only take things in sequential order. If we experienced things outside of time as God (and the angels/demons do), it would be too much for us to handle.
Jesus warns His disciples of this by telling them not to worry or take on anxiety because “today has evil enough of its own,” and that “tomorrow will take care of itself” without us worrying about it (Mt 6:34).
“Oh ye of little faith”
It’s funny how Jesus also relates Peter’s anxieties/fears to his “little” faith in today’s scripture reading when the latter starts to sink into the stormy waves of the Sea of Galilea (Mt 14:31). In both accounts recorded by Matthew, the one above, and the storm scene, Jesus connects their little faith to their fear.
Reliance on self or God?
Each sequence of time is a new opportunity to ditch my self-reliance (which is a form of pride born of my lack of faith in God’s goodness) and be humble enough to invite God into every moment of my day–especially when I struggle.
Christianity or stoicism?
God does not demand us to deny, bury, or just “grin and bear” our anxieties, fears, and emotions. He wants us to take them to Him–or rather–give them to Him in an act of childlike faith, as the saints do.
“If this is how you treat your friends…”
St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) or “Big Tess”, in a nod to her sassy personality, once said to Our Lord in a fit of self-pity and frustration after slipping and falling headlong into the mud in a rainstorm on her way back to her convent:
“Lord, if this is how You treat your friends, no wonder You have so few of them!”
The saint didn’t “get through it” gritting her teeth, or even bowing down in resignation. She instead spoke to Him like the true Friend that He was to her, forgoing any pretenses, authentically reflecting the friendship she shared with her Creator, without fear of His retribution or rejection.
Jesus understands emotions
All our emotions–our frustrations and even our humor–is not lost on God. After all, He created them. I’m certain that Jesus had a great sense of wit and humor and could take all the honesty the disciples threw at Him. Would they have followed an irritable, sensitive, sour and overly-serious Man? Of course not.
Maybe He’s showing me I can take myself, situations, and others too seriously, and that it’s really okay to not be so self-reliant all the time.