I have a little Jesus figurine that rides around in a little nook on the dash of my truck. A friend gave him to me in an Easter egg a few months ago. I am under no illusions about the significance this little Jesus. He simply serves as a gentle and somewhat humorous reminder that Jesus is always with me; a much-needed reminder given my temperament and the skill level of most American drivers.As I was driving through the chaos and congestion of Chattanooga, Tennessee, I looked up at my little dashboard Jesus only to find him lying face down in the corner. Without hesitation I said, “What are you doing up there, little Jesus?! You sleeping on the job?”
“What are you doing up there, little Jesus?! You sleeping on the job?”
Again, I know the little plastic Jesus has no real significance. He is neither watching nor listening, and he has no power to protect, guide, or assist in the insanity of lunch hour traffic. Still, I couldn’t help but laugh at the way the moment reflected the experiences of the original twelve disciples in the presence of the real-life Jesus in the midst of their own traveling trials and tribulations.
Mark 4:35-41 tells the story of the disciples’ harrowing experience traversing a storm on the Sea of Galilee. As they made their way across, a storm came up and was creating concern that they might not make it through. In the chaos of the moment, they looked up and saw Jesus lying down and napping in the front of the boat. They woke Jesus up shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” The disciples were astounded and appalled that Jesus was calm in the middle of such chaos, that He was so relaxed in the face of potential wreckage. They felt He was sleeping on the job.
If Jesus isn’t panicking, we shouldn’t either. If He is calm, relaxed, and resting, we can rest along with Him.
As I reflected on this passage and the analog in my own experience, I recognized a common perspective problem. The disciples were focused on the danger of the storm, I was focused on the chaos of rush hour traffic. Instead, our focus should have been on the presence of the calm and collected Savior. If Jesus isn’t panicking, we shouldn’t either. If He is calm, relaxed, and resting, we can rest along with Him. The reality is that Jesus never sleeps on the job. He always acts at the exact moment we need Him.
There will always be a reason to stress, to panic, or to worry if we focus on the storms and chaos of life. We must, instead, turn our eyes upon Jesus. Our faith in the power of His presence must be greater than our fear or frustration at whatever the world throws at us. If Jesus seems to be sleeping, perhaps we should take that as sign that we need to relax and trust that He’s got it under control.
