Saturday, August 11, 2012

Go Ahead. Get Out of the Boat

But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

“Lord, if it‘s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

“Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” -- Matthew 14:27- 31

I want to walk on water. Okay. Not really. What I really want is to be fearless. I want to go forth boldly doing exactly what God has called me to do, without hesitation or fear. I want to get out of that boat of insecurity and at last try to do what He wants.

And yet I hesitate. I listen to the voices around me. I think of all the many ways I could fail. I doubt myself. I doubt my ability to truly hear God’s voice. I doubt what I can actually accomplish.

But I want to. Oh, how I want to. How about you? Is there anything in your life that you’re longing to do but you’re just too afraid to try? What’s stopping you? Or, maybe, who’s stopping you?

We all want to please others. It’s just part of who we are. But it isn’t how God intended for us to be. We’re to live according to His plan, not the plans or desires of others. So there we are, caught in turmoil, remaining immobile because as much as we don’t want to stay in the boat, we can’t seem to make ourselves get out of it.

A sweet, sweet young woman I know is following her dream and amazing all the naysayer’s. For her first, after college job, she opened a boutique in a downtown many consider to be dying. She’s only used social media and word of mouth to promote her business, refusing efforts to use traditional advertising. Her business is booming. I am so proud of her.

Of course, there’s a back story to all that. She majored in alternative advertising in college. She interned in a boutique. She had a set goal and worked toward it. And she has a mother who supports her totally.

Ah, support. That’s just a dream for many of us. For every idea or goal we have, there’s someone there to tell us we can’t do it. And then they list all our faults and all the reasons why we’re sure to fail. Yeah, it’s easy to sit back down in the boat when faced with that kind of reaction.

But what would happen if we just followed Peter’s lead? We could call out to Jesus, make sure it was really Him calling us, then step out in faith. What would happen? We might succeed beyond our wildest dreams. And if we falter? Jesus would be right there with his hands to catch us. Sounds like a win-win situation to me. What do you think