Walking on Water
April 27, 2022.
Jesus said, “Come, Peter.”Then Peter left the boat and walked on the water to Jesus. But while Peter was walking on the water, he saw the wind and the waves. He was afraid and began sinking into the water. He shouted, “Lord, save me!”Then Jesus caught Peter with his hand. He said, “Your faith is small. Why did you doubt?”Matthew 14:29-31 ERV
It was a lovely morning in Speyer, Germany, and after lunch I decided to walk on the upper deck. Being a competitive person, even on vacation, I set the Workout App on my Apple Watch to count my miles. I checked my progress after 8 minutes and had recorded an impossible 3 miles. Apparently I walk really fast on water.
Of course, the workout app was tracking my progress via GPS, and the boat’s nautical miles were adding up.
Peter must have thought he was trucking it on the water until he saw the wind and the waves. It wasn’t the wind or waves that did him in, it was his hubris (in my opinion). As he began to sink, he shouted, “Lord save me.” Jesus caught Peter with his hand.
How do you hear Jesus’ words: “Your faith is small. Why did you doubt?”
I used to hear this story through a filter of shame and blame. Now I hear Jesus as gracious and kind. I can’t walk on water. Walking on board a moving boat aside. Jesus is always present, always ready to catch my hand. I simply need to let go. Which isn’t so easy for a competitive, self sufficient, overachiever.
It’s not all about me or what I can do, how much faith I can summon, or how very amazingly fast I am think I am walking It’s about Jesus, who holds my hand, who carries me like the boat.
Thanks for the reminder, God. ~ Anne
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