Galilee

Galilee is 700 feet below sea level and is formed from the waters of the upper Jordan River. There are so many beautiful stories that happened on this sea. My favorite has always been the story of Christ calming the storm. Spencer W. Kimball said "There are depths in the sea which the storms that lash the surface into fury never reach. They who reach down into the depths of life where, in the stillness, the voice of God is heard, have the stabilizing power which carries
them poised and serene through the hurricane of difficulties." When I was here in 2000 we stayed in bungalows right on the shore of Galilee. I didn't realize until coming back what a connection I felt with that lake.

We had a great fish lunch in Tiberias. Well, I had a fish lunch. It was fabulous because they serve the fish with its head still on. I had to put my napkin over that part so I wouldn't have the fish staring up at me while I ate it. Long after we'd all eaten our fish, and I'd eaten more than my fair share of hummus, they finally brought out Jerel's chicken. Which was basically raw so he couldn't eat it anyawy.

After lunch we went on a boat ride on the sea. I have always loved being on the water, but especially in Galilee. There is a stillness in my soul when I am on the Sea of Galilee. Truly the Savior has power not just to calm the troubled waters but to calm my anxious soul as well.

I love this comment by Jeffrey R. Holland: No, it is not without a recognition of life's tempests but fully and directly because of them that I testify of God's love and the Savior's power to calm the storm. Always remember in that biblical story that He was out there on the water also, that He faced the worst of it right along with the newest and youngest and most fearful. Only one who has fought against those ominous waves is justified in telling us--as well as the sea--to "be still." Only one who has taken the full brunt of such adversity could ever be justified in telling us in such times to "be of good cheer." Such counsel is not a jaunty pep talk about the power of positive thinking, though positive thinking is much needed in the world. No, Christ knows better than all others that the trials of life can be very deep and we are not shallow people if we struggle with them. But even as the Lord avoids sugary rhetoric, He rebukes faithlessness and He deplores pessimism. He expects us to believe!