Desperate to please Jesus
By Josie Morilla Pulmano
When you hear or read the word “Desperate” what immediately comes to your mind? It is the person who loses hope or is almost beyond hope, or a person who is ready to take all risks in dangerous situations, or when faced with serious dilemma, a crisis, or a deep predicament. But another meaning of desperate which I want to share. I just heard a message from a special guest preacher in our church on desperation. I have filtered this message in my thoughts, hoping to incorporated its relevance in the lives of our seafarers and their families.
The message is about Saint Peter, one of the disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ. Reading and studying the life and character of Peter, some people would say that he is a show-off man with a big mouth. They will say he is the type of man who says something, but does another: he denied Jesus Christ three times when he was confronted by the authorities and by the people that time. This is where the rooster got famous, it crowed three times. Earlier in the story, Peter tried to save and defend Jesus by drawing his sword, and he even cut the left ear of that poor roman soldier who wanted to arrest Jesus in the garden of Gethsemene. Peter even rebuked Jesus, telling him it will not happen when Jesus was predicting his own death. This is Peter. But inspite of his human frailty and inadequacy, Jesus saw something in him. That’s why He appointed Peter to be the Rock, the cornerstone of Christianity. One thing we can see in Peter is his passion to please Jesus. It‚Äôs not just a normal passion, but a desperate passion to please Jesus.
Mathew 14:22-32 is about Jesus walking on the water. The disciples got onboard the boat, to cross the lake without Jesus for they were told to go ahead. They will meet Him on the other side. But as the boat paddled through, it was buffeted by big waves and strong winds, and then they saw Jesus walking on the water and they were terrified. It was Peter who responded in verse 28 and said “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water”. Let’s pause awhile and think: Peter, being a fisherman would have dived into the water and swam to reach Jesus. But it did not hapen that way: the story is that Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on the water towards Jesus. Now, who would think that Peter can walked on the water? Did he not know that it’s insane to walk on the water? Oh! It’s not even insane, it’s impossible to walk on the water! The law of nature, gravity, will tell us why it’s impossible. And yet Peter was so determined and so driven to please Jesus. None of the other disciples followed what Peter did. But Peter, all alone, while walking towards Jesus, was batterred by strong winds and the strong current. He began to doubt his faith, and started to sink. His desperation to please Jesus was met by the laws of nature and by his own humanity. But inspite of that, something is already proven: Peter knew the risks, and being an intelligent fisherman, he knew that if he got out of the boat, he will be in a serious and dangerous situation. By stepping out of the boat, he proved that he has faith. There’s a supernatural thing that took place, defying the laws of nature, the moment Peter stepped out of the boat.
With that story, the preacher gave a fresh revelation about Peter’s life. The preacher wished he could rewrite the history of Peter in this particular situation. He said that if he were Peter, he would have done something different. He would persuade the other disciples to join him and walk with him on the water, hand in hand towards Jesus. In this way, even if the strongest winds and currents, or doubts and fears, or even the law of nature, will prevail, Peter will not be alone in wanting to please Jesus. There would be a group of hearts, and hands, ready to please Jesus.
This story of Peter pleasing Jesus has made an impact on my life, and I believe it will make an impact on your lives also, if you believe. I am and will remain a seafarer’s wife and many times, I’ve been in a desperate situation. I want to be with my husband as I want also to please him, as he wants to please me. But time, distance and even the nature of my husband’s profession are a constant stumbling block. For quite a number of years now, I have met many seafarers’ wives who also feel that they are desperate to please their husbands, and there are also very many seafarers who are desperate to please their wives who are far away from them.
But thanks to new technology, like GSM cell phones and internet and webcams, seafarers can talk to their wives and even see their spouses on-screen. They can chat, send sms, e-mails, instant photos in seconds. Desperation was met by new technology. But still, the longing for company, service, and affection, or the living proof of relationship, was still desperately needed. What makes the situation of seafarers desperate is the absence of physical relationship with their wives. For them, life is more than the economics of giving food on the table and having roof over their heads. Just being on board ship is already a risk, no matter how gigantic the ship is, for a seafarer’s ship is still floating on water in the middle of nowhere. And the laws of nature are sometimes unpredictable. For a seafarer, a solution to this desperation is difficult to find, as long as he won’t give up his profession as a “man of the sea”. The only consolation is that when his shipboard contract expires, he can go home, enjoy a short quality time with his wife and family, but only to go back at sea for another cycle of seafaring life.
I have a message to seafarers’ wives and colleagues: The moment your husband leaves for another shipboard contract, remember that, like St. Peter, you are already stepping out of the “boat”, to face the unknown. When your husband leaves, you assume 3 roles (father, mother, wife); this challenges your faith but it is something that will help you hold your head high. There are risks and fears but don’t lose heart. Take courage and take the challenge, for your husband has a strong confidence in you to take care of the household. Just as there are many ways to put a collar to a dog, there are many ways to please your husband even when he is far away. And stop the short-term thinking that says you can please your husband only when you have allotment (I do not apologize for saying this even if I have heard the opposite from a crowd of seafarers’ wives).
My message to seafarer-husbands: use your creativity and your imagination to be pleasing to your wife. Remember the famous “footprints in the sand”? You’re not alone. God will steer your life in the right direction with you if you ask Him.
On behalf of the Pulmano family, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2007.
Cool Youth Values
Pulmano brothers JingJing and PomPom share their music and their inspiration
Dedication and Faith
Josie and Engr Felix Pulmano (left most) singing Xmas carols with PSAP volunteers
Rotterdam
December 2006
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