—Gospel of Matthew 8:24

Jesus slept quietly in the boat, which was being buffeted by roaring waves and winds, while His frightened, disciples panicked. Can you sleep well while the coronavirus pandemic blows through your life?

There’s a story about a farmer who owned land along the U. S. Atlantic Coast. He constantly advertised for hired hands, but most people were reluctant to work on farms along the wild Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the sea, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops.

As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals. Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer. “Are you a good farm hand?” the farmer asked him.

“Well, I can sleep when the wind blows,” answered the little man.

Although he was puzzled by this answer, the farmer, too desperate for help, hired him on the spot.

The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man’s work. Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed in panic, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand’s sleeping quarters.

The little man was sound asleep. “Get up. A storm is coming,” said the farmer. “Tie things down before they blow away!”

The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly: “No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows.”

Enraged by the response, the farmer threw a fit and was tempted to fire him on the spot, but instead hurried outside to protect his property from the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins, the cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. All the shutters were tightly secured, and everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away.

Then the farmer understood what his hired hand meant. So, he also returned to his bed to sleep while the wind blew.

It is important to take all necessary precautions to secure your home, property or life before a potential disaster hits. It is only by doing this that you can sleep well at night.

Are you able to possess the peace of mind to sleep well in the midst of this coronavirus pandemic? The hired hand in the story was able to sleep well because he had secured the farm against the storm.

Jesus also slept while the winds nearly capsized the boat on the sea of Galilee. He did not panic when disaster hit.

As His followers, we secure ourselves against the storms and dangers of life by resting in Him, knowing we’ve taken every precaution beforehand.

Stay safe and Sleep well!

—Fr. Hugh Duffy