In the quiet of a late evening, a man is sitting in contemplation on the hardwood floor of his home office. He is reading the new testament story where Jesus and his disciples were caught at sea by a furious squall. Jesus disciples were sure they would die. They woke Jesus in fear, and asked him if he cared. Jesus got up and calmed the storm, and asked “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

On this particular day, the man who was sitting in the floor of his office had lost his job, and wondered how he would provide for his family. He was at the end of his rope, but he found something in that story.

The man wondered, what is this faith that Jesus was calling his disciples to? His office was so quiet, that all you could hear was the air being displaced by the slowly turning blades of his old ceiling fan. Exhausted by the events of the day, his mind just wouldn’t produce another thought. It was in this silence that a voice without words spoke to him. He knew at that moment that his life would never be the same. It was all clear now.

The fear the disciples faced that day came from the outside in, but the peace Jesus was calling them to, was one that came from the inside out. Later in the new testament, Jesus says “the kingdom of god is within you.” It was only when this man had no energy left for thought, that he discovered the peace that passes understanding. The peace Jesus is calling us to, doesn’t have to wait for your life to come apart. It only has to wait for you to stop considering your circumstances “out there”, and look to the inward silence where Jesus calls you.