Have you ever set out to do
something that was seemingly impossible?
Have you been criticized, and looked down upon because you took a
challenging step and yet seemingly failed while others stayed safely within
their comfort zone? A story in the
Christian scriptures speaks of someone who did just this. The man that I speak of was Peter. He took a risk and a chance and it seemingly
ended in failure. Though there was not
any criticism of Peter at the time, I have heard much criticism of Peter since.
The story goes like this; Jesus
sent his disciples across the sea and instructed them that he would catch up with
them. Though odd, because if they have
the boat how is Jesus going to catch up to them, the disciples climbed in a
boat and set sail for the other side of the sea. A short way into their travels a storm hits
and they are being tossed about in the boat.
Jesus comes along in the early morning walking on the water. The disciples seeing him are scared that
Jesus is a ghost. Jesus identifies
himself to which Peter responds if it is really you order me to come. Jesus orders him to come and so Peter climbs
out of the boat and starts walking on the water. Peter begins to look around, becomes afraid,
and starts to sink. Jesus catches him
and they walk back to the boat and climb in.
At this point Jesus calms the storm (Matthew 14:22 – 33).
This is where Peter gets a bad
reputation for Jesus asks why he doubted.
Often this is our focus in this story, the fact that Peter doubted and began
to sink. Here is another look at that
same situation. In that boat was at
least twelve people, of those, twelve only Peter was willing to take the risk,
climb out of the boat, and walk on the water towards Jesus. Though Peter became overwhelmed by the things
going on around him and lost sight of his goal and began to sink, he was at
least willing to be obedient, to take a risk, and do something that seemed
impossible. The others chose to stay in
the boat. By staying in the safety of
the boat, they missed an opportunity.
For those who are like Peter and
stepped out of their boat of comfort and entered into an experience of a
lifetime congratulations for having such courage. If you find that you are still walking on the
water, in the midst of the storm and circumstances are causing you to begin to
sink refocus on your goal. Look around
and see who is there to catch you so you do not become overwhelmed by the
circumstances.
If you are one of those still remaining
in the boat of comfort, what is keeping you in the boat instead of taking that
chance, that risk to have the experience of your life? What fears are keeping you in your comfort
zone instead of stretching yourself to greater things?
I believe that we need to be more
like Peter and be willing to take the calculated risk and step out of the
boat. Keep our eyes on the goal and not
the circumstances. Know that when we do
become overwhelmed with our circumstances in the risk, that there is always
someone out there to catch us and help us in our endeavors, whether that be
your faith, a friend, a chaplain or any other form of help. The first step can be the scariest but the
risk is usually worth the first step.
