“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?
Peter, my all-time favorite Bible character. Person. Character person. Whatever you call people in the Bible. He's so completely... real. He does everything with his heart and not his head. I can't wait to get to heaven, because I want to spend a hundred years or so just talking to this guy. Oh, the stories he'll have to tell!
Here, Peter ends up doubting - just for a fraction of a second - and begins to sink. But what I love is that he's out there in the water, when all the other disciples are still in the boat. When we stick our necks out for our faith, when we do things that are unusual or daring or different, there's a good chance that we'll end up in the churning sea, wondering why didn't just stay safe in the boat. But I have to believe that we'll be blessed for trying. After all, Peter was the one that got the personal touch from Jesus. And while the disciples had to stand on the sidelines and watch a super cool story as it happened, Peter got to be right in the middle of it. What a story to tell your children and grandchildren.
I don't want to stand on the sidelines. I want to get out of the boat.
Addition: Today I read something that fits perfectly with this post, and I just had to add it. Theodore Roosevelt's "The Man in the Arena", April 23, 1910: It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
Here, Peter ends up doubting - just for a fraction of a second - and begins to sink. But what I love is that he's out there in the water, when all the other disciples are still in the boat. When we stick our necks out for our faith, when we do things that are unusual or daring or different, there's a good chance that we'll end up in the churning sea, wondering why didn't just stay safe in the boat. But I have to believe that we'll be blessed for trying. After all, Peter was the one that got the personal touch from Jesus. And while the disciples had to stand on the sidelines and watch a super cool story as it happened, Peter got to be right in the middle of it. What a story to tell your children and grandchildren.
I don't want to stand on the sidelines. I want to get out of the boat.
Addition: Today I read something that fits perfectly with this post, and I just had to add it. Theodore Roosevelt's "The Man in the Arena", April 23, 1910: It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
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