If you’re over the age of 10, then you’ve probably already figured out that life is not challenge-free. Difficulties, pain in relationships, and even tragedies are part of everyday life. As a matter of fact, Jesus told His disciples, “Take courage. There are many storms in this life.” (Here’s the good part…my emphasis added). “But take heart, I have overcome the world.” Wow. Now, that’s scripture to hang your hat on!

Whenever you face a storm, your first urge may be to scream, “Why?!” And while certain storms do come into our lives because of our own sin, many challenges occur even as we’re walking right in the middle of God’s will. We’re not doing anything wrong; in fact, we’re doing exactly what God wants us to do.

Certainly, that was the case for the disciples in this instance detailed for us in Matthew 8: 23-27.  Jesus had told them to get into the boat and row across the Sea of Galilee and they were simply following His instructions when they suddenly found themselves in the middle of this horrific storm. It was so bad, they didn’t even know if they would survive. But here’s the important take away from that event – they did survive that storm. With the help of Jesus, they survived.

So, what’s does that mean for OUR lives? First of all, we need to accept the fact that our lives will not be a perfectly smooth ride. Trust me on this. The road of life will sometimes have bumps, potholes, or sudden sharp turns. All roads do. But instead of letting these challenges completely derail us, we can turn to Jesus for guidance and strength, trusting Him to ride out every bump and detour right by our side.