Even the Wind and the Sea

 I’m certainly no miracle worker, but I am working hard to help myself understand that all the things surrounding my life are subservient to the spirit inside me. What I have in my heart is stronger, by far, than the sometimes thunderous noises made by the material aspects of life – the persistent worries, the uncertainties about the future, the simple concerns about the next few hours. There’s a life force in me, and in all of us, that’s so astonishing and irresistible it makes me sometimes silently shout at the way it washes over the seemingly tempestuous powers of material things. It’s sometimes called hope, sometimes inner strength, sometimes confidence or just plain sureness and poise, but whatever it’s called, this force carries with it enough power to prevail over any material condition. Even a great wind and sea surrenders to a steadfast inner spirit. The wind may be wondrous in its force, and the waves may be working their wreckage, but there’s a force inside  us that can soothe and send us into the center of the storm with an awe-inspiring stillness. The storm may still roar, but what's in our hearts speaks with a far more imperious quietness, and all seems suddenly -- at least inside us -- silent.