Note: You can watch this teaching on CrossWalk’s YouTube channel.

Let the center brighten your sight. – Rumi

This week’s lectionary texts offered an abundance of fodder for spiritual/personal growth: the story of David and Goliath, Jesus calming the storm, and Paul’s testimony about his experience walking deeply with God through great hardship were especially meaningful to me.  The biggest thing that emerged for me has to do with the power of faith in the face of fear, and what is involved in living faithfully.  Here are some of my thoughts...

David and Goliath.  Israel’s army and king were trapped by their fear of the giant Goliath.  David, who wasn’t stuck in the trenches with them but came into the situation from a different space, saw with faith instead, and realized that he himself was able to take down the human redwood.  I think the miracle here is that David brought all his gifts, skills, and practice to bear on the situation.  He threw off Saul’s heavy armor – it wasn’t tailored for him.  He only needed what he already had – his sling and some good stones.  He was a sharpshooter.  Which miracle is more inspiring – that God somehow guided the stone to kill Goliath, or the one where everything in David came together to defeat the enemy using the very miracle of his life?  Steph Curry has miraculously battled giants hundreds of times.  How?  By honing his skill through relentless work and practice.  What are we capable of?  What are the giants you are facing?  What’s the tool you bring to the field?

Jesus Calms the Storm.  The disciples were freaking out while Jesus took a nap.  They were all in the same boat battling the storm, yet only one was calm.  What did Jesus do when the disciples woke him up?  He rebuked the stormy wind and sea and they went calm.  This is the language of exorcism.  There is power in naming our fear, and there is power in rebuking it, too.  Sometimes the rebuke itself has surprising impact on us mentally and physically.  It is a statement of refusing to be controlled by fear and instead choosing the reality of faith.  Try it out – yell into a pillow if you need to – and see what happens.  What harm can it do?

Paul’s Encouragement. What a fascinating thing Paul says to the Corinthians!  Today is the day of salvation – don’t miss it or waste it!  And by the way, living out my faith has put me through a lot of hardship, and yet joy was there all along.  It is more than worth it.  Paul is talking about living from a centered life here, a life that is motivated and shaped by his faith.  Hardship is unavoidable – that’s life.  Yet somehow Paul’s way of life – which was the way Jesus taught and modeled – allowed him to persevere.  He had faith-formed eyes that allowed him to appreciate all the good of God and life despite and in spite of hardship.  He saw each day as the day of salvation.  I’ve heard it said that each day is a gift – that’s why we call it the present.  Gag me.  Am I the only one who would like to return some of these gifts?  And yet, there is truth here.  I think, however, that we need to add a line: the more we are present, the more we are able to see the gifts each day brings.  This is why Paul could say the things he said – his outward circumstances did not shake his foundation of faith.  He did not allow is circumstantial reality to distract him from ultimate reality, which is eternal, which is Spirit, which is God. One way of life has us focus on things that are not really real.  The Way has us live from Reality.  Cultivating that perspective takes time and discipline, and if we don’t maintain it we can find ourselves right back into a paradigm of fear.  It will happen.  Get back to Reality as fast as you can.