The Storm is Not The Sea by Caitlin N. Pate
Life lately has felt like being on a very small boat in the midst of a tempest sea. Before you can properly balance from one wave, another rocks the creaky timbers beneath you and stings your face and arms with cold saltwater. Your stomach feels like it swings from the bottom cradle of your hips up into the upper reaches of your ribcage. Everything around you feels like it's cracking open—the sky ripped open with lighting, the sea pulled apart by tide and froth, you being torn open by it all.
But even in the storm—violent as it may be and fearful as we may feel—it is not all there is. The storm is not the sea. Beneath the churning waves, deep within the sea, there is calm. Stillness.
There is a stillness within all of us. A deep calm within our hearts that we can find and expand on.
Sometimes we feel thrown by the storm, but it is not up to the storm to give us peace. It is up to us to accept that peace that Christ so freely gives.
Peace, like so many things in this life, is not something that just happens to happen to us. It is not some luck of the draw or how you got out of bed this morning. Peace is something we must help create for ourselves. It comes from us taking the time to choose it.
We all have emotions, whether right, wrong, or indifferent. That is not something that I believe goes away, nor should we be without these feelings, however, those feelings don't have to rule our minds. They don't have to steal our peace. We are not peaceful because we had a good day, or, because everything went our way. We are peaceful because we know that we will be OK by the grace of God, that this earth is temporary, and that there is love in the world. It can be different for each of us—these bringers of calm. For me, these include peace in feeling the soft grass beneath my feet, focusing on each slow breath, and knowing I am loved by friends, family, and by God—that "at dawn, there is rejoicing" Psalms 30:6 and "it is only a passing thing, this shadow" (J.R.R. Tolkien).
What makes you feel peaceful? Is it the last rays of sunshine painting the world gold for a few moments? Is it cuddling up at home with a loved one to watch a movie? Is it a book, Instagram account, or Pinterest board that holds a story or aesthetic that touches your soul? Whatever it is, think about ways that you can bring it more into your life. So often we (looking at you, Caite) go through the motions of life and forget that to get the life we wish to lead, we must create it—for ourselves at this moment.
Some goals feel far away, or maybe just can't be accomplished now, but that doesn't mean your life can't start to become what you hope it to be. My future dream is for me and my family to live on acres of our own land where we have forests, grow our own fruits and vegetables, and live a simple life. Someday, I hope to stay at home, writing and being a homemaker. To me, these things are beautiful goals, but simply not attainable right now. And that's okay. While I work towards those goals, I can create within the house a beautiful safe haven filled with love and joy. I can make our home a cozy sanctuary and I can do it right now. Every day! This is both a wonderful revelation and possibly a bit daunting. We have the ability and the responsibility to bring peace to our hearts and joy to our lives.
It isn't always easy, and I won't lie and claim I have mastered it. It is something that I have to examine in myself. Why am I watching a show that I'm not even interested in when I desire to read more? I hope to cultivate a large garden, but since I can't have one right now, I'll plant a little potted garden on my porch and nurture it. I want to be a writer, so instead of sulking—I write more often and actively send out submissions. It is easier to sulk, to put the blame for my lack of peace on my job, time of life, city, anything and everything else, but I am responsible and thankfully able to create peace in my heart through Jesus Christ.
I hope that today you find some peace wherever you are right now.
Caitlin N. Pate is a Mississippi native who enjoyed growing up slowly to the pace of nature around her and knowing God as a true Father and guiding light. She fell in love with writing as a child and has never stopped. After graduating from Mississippi State University with a Bachelor of Arts in English, she taught seventh-grade English as well as preschool in a Montessori school. She hopes one day to live on land with her family, growing their garden and her future children's minds and hearts to know and love the Lord. She always tries to live by her beloved granddaddy's motto: "every day you wake up alive is a good day!"