Wednesday, March 10

by Kathy Wise

Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!"

He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!" Matthew 8:23-27

I fully admit that I am an avid movie fan—and have been for quite some time. One movie that I particularly like is Tender Mercies, a character study of a defeated, washed-up country singer-songwriter who finds redemption by the time the movie is over. Robert Duvall won a Best Actor Oscar in 1984 for his performance as Mac Sledge and Horton Foote won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar for his story.

In one scene, one Sunday Mac and his stepson Sonny are baptized in the local church with Rosa Lee, wife and mom, beaming from the church choir. On the way home, Sonny states that he doesn’t feel any different now that he is baptized and stretches up to see himself in the rear-view mirror. “I don’t look any different, do I?” he asks. “Do you feel any different, Mac?” And Mac replies, “Not yet.”

But as the story continues, Mac changes. He reaches out to a youthful country band and helps them become established. He reconciles with his daughter and his former manager. He remains a faithful, loving husband and learns to be an attentive stepfather. He even helps his ex-wife as much as possible when tragedy occurs.

Mac finds an inner calmness and strength to deal with life’s storms. Do we movie-goers believe that all the storms in Mac’s life are over? No. But we have confidence that Mac will be able to handle them.

Oh Lord, help us to open our hearts and allow you to calm the storms in our lives.