Peace! Be still!

The gospel in the church today was from Mark.  It was the story where Jesus calmed the storm on the sea, showing his power of evil and chaos. Jesus said, "Peace! Be still!" and the wind ceased and there was a dead calm.   And as I listened, I found myself thinking about Matt as a toddler.

I promise, this isn't a huge stretch.  Maybe, just a little stretch.

When Matt was a toddler, he was the happiest baby.  Although he was very late to talking, he generally figured out how to communicate his needs and didn't get frustrated very often.  But like any toddler, he had meltdowns at times. 

But when he did, we used to say, "No tantrum, Matt!" and he would stop.   I kid you not. This didn't happen once.  It happened countless times. 

Listen, I'm not comparing myself or my husband to Jesus, just noticing that "Peace, Be still," isn't too different from, "No tantrum, Matt!" 

But now, as we're in the midst of the turbulent teenage years, I find myself wishing I could say such a simple phrase that would stop the back talk or argument. 

Yeah, that would be REALLY nice.