Calgon Take Me Away
“Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘ Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” –– Mark 4:39-40, NKJV
How many of you remember this 1978 commercial?
This commercial was for Calgon bath and beauty products. In the beginning, you see a mother, whose stress level has reached its climax. She starts out naming each tension point and with each name the pressure grows stronger –– the traffic, the boss, the baby, and then the dog. The dog was the last straw. At this point, she says, “That does it! Calgon, take me away!” The next scene shows her relaxing in a bath in a quiet room.
Sitting in this bathtub of water filled to the rim, with fluffy, white, foam-like bubbles was supposed to be a place of paradise –– a place of peace and a place of tranquility. This tub represented a place where any and everything that could possibly be troubling you vanished. One can only imagine that when you settled down in this tub, you could find yourself submerged in an atmosphere of complete stillness.
It’s the same type of atmosphere the Disciples found themselves in after the Master spoke to the boisterous wind and raging sea by saying, “Be still”. (Mark 4:39) And then within seconds, He turned to them and calmed their frazzled nerves with these two simple questions: “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”
Now, there’s one thing that we should remember about these Disciples and that is, they were seasoned fishermen. One can imagine that they encountered many storms while out to sea. However, there was something different about this storm. Could it possibly be that it caught them by surprise –– caught them off guard? Maybe the meteorologist had not forecasted it or maybe the National Weather Service had not sent out the alarm. Nonetheless, no matter what the calm before the storm foretold before these Disciples knew it, they were caught in the middle of a crisis and so can life be.
There are times when our Christian journey or life’s journey in general, is coupled with unexpected storms. Much of life can be a voyage of smooth sailing and then suddenly from out of nowhere, the sea can become a place of unrest touching areas of our lives that we knew for sure we had mastered. Or, had we?
I am certain that world leaders felt that exact same way, before COVID-19. Undoubtedly, there were systems that needed refining but nothing that minor adjustments or reformed legislation could not handle.
But then, the storm hit.
People began to get sick and people began dying. Where did this storm come from that is now disrupting our calm sea? Where is the voice that’s supposed to speak peace? Where is the voice that’s supposed to say, “Be still”? We weren’t prepared for this storm. The meteorologist did not give this forecast. Where is the coast guard? Our ship is about to go down and we need to be rescued. Right now, we need more than Calgon to take us away…
Let us pray…
Father, it is in the name of Jesus that I come before You this day, acknowledging that You are Lord over the storm. I speak peace over every situation and every circumstance that may be troubling me right now. I decree and I declare that my atmosphere is one of calmness and that nothing shall enter in, to cause disruption. Therefore, I shall have the promise of your peace and rest in You, through Christ Jesus, Amen.
Join me next week for Coffee on The Couch