Counselor: What’s the problem?

Bart: For starters, I didn’t feel safe getting on the boat to begin with!

Counselor: Why?

Bart: Because I don’t feel safe on boats in general. And because I could see that the weather was bad (and getting worse). And we were all tired! Sailing while tired and sleepy is essentially the maritime equivalent of driving under the influence.

Counselor: So you felt scared?

Bart: YES!

Counselor: Did you tell Him that?

Bart: YES! I suggested that we spend the night on land that evening, and we could set sail in the morning.

Counselor: So then what happened?

Bart: Exactly what I thought would happen! We get out to sea and the weather is so bad that we honestly thought we were gonna die!!

Counselor: Then what?

Bart: He was asleep! It was like He didn’t care!

Counselor: And this upset you?

Bart: Absolutely!

Counselor: So then what happened?

Bart: We had to wake Him up.

Counselor: Why?

Bart: We were freaking out! And He got us into this situation. And not just this specific situation, I mean the WHOLE situation! We hadn’t seen our families in months, He had us traveling to all kinds of sketchy places …like Samaria, and the Gerasenes; and He was constantly saying stuff that triggered the authorities and sparked their outrage. Our lives were constantly in danger!

Counselor: How did that make you feel?

Bart: Scared! That’s what I’m saying, WE WERE SCARED!

Counselor: Ok, so you woke Him up. Then what happened?

Bart: Well, when He FINALLY woke up, the weather died down. Some of the guys said that He shushed the squall, and that’s why the storm to stopped; but that seems irrational to me.

Counselor: So then what happened?

Bart: THEN – He reprimanded us! He said, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”

Counselor: And that upset you?

Bart: YES!!!

Counselor: Our time is up for today, Bart, but I want to acknowledge how incredibly frustrating it feels to have your very real fear met with a reprimand instead of comfort. It sounds like you’ve been carrying a heavy burden of hyper-vigilance—not just on that boat, but through all the ‘sketchy’ travels and social tension and trauma you’ve described. Between now and our next session, I’d like you to just notice when you feel that ‘need to wake Him up’ in your daily life, and we’ll start there next time to explore that lack of safety further. Take a moment to breathe before you head back out, and I’ll see you next week.