In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 14 after the feeding of the 5000, the disciples get into the boat and head back across the water while Jesus dismisses the crowds. The boat is struggling against the waves and Jesus walks across the water toward the boat. The disciples see Jesus walking on the water and are to say the least freaked out.
Jesus says, “Do not be afraid.” Peter then does something unexpected. He tells Jesus to ask him to come out on the water. So Jesus does just that. So Peter gets out of the boat and walks on the water toward Jesus. Then he gets overwhelmed and afraid and starts to sink. Then Jesus reaches out to grab Peter’s hand.
Peter has often gotten the short end of the stick on this story, when I think Peter takes the risk. Riffing on the previous post, Peter eats the frog. He is the only one to get out. I think many of us are like the other 11 who stay in the boat. We don’t like the waves and the storms, but we aren’t willing to leave the boat either.
The boat can be the security of a job or a relationship. The boat could be our own comfort zone. Life has storms, always has, always will. But we get to choose to stay in the boat or risk getting out. It may be scary, we may sink a bit, but truth be told, Jesus is always right there with us if we are willing to give it a try.
What is your boat? What is your storm? Will you step out in faith or simply stay in the boat?

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