And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. (Matthew 14:29)
We all have our faith battles—those times when we’re called to get out of the boat and put feet to our faith. I call these times water walking, and I have to admit that I’m not very good at them.
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Unlike Peter, I resist the call to climb over the edge of the boat and try out my water shoes. But sometimes the boat tips, and I’m spilled out no matter how hard I fight it.
As the mom of a Marine, I learned pretty early on that I was going to be doing a lot of water walking. And if I didn’t keep my eyes on Jesus, I was going to sink. Here are four other lessons I learned.
1) The good-byes never get easier.
Just because I stepped out in faith, there was no guarantee the storm would quiet down. My first foray into water walking came when we said goodbye to our son as he left for boot camp. I thought that day would be hardest. I was wrong. The goodbyes never got any easier as they came more often.
2) Most water walking happens in the dark.
I found that I most often had to step out in faith when I couldn’t see what was around me. During those times, Jesus was the only thing I could really see. Turns out seeing Him was all I needed.
3) Water walking isn’t a group activity.
Every single time I’ve been called on to step out of the boat I’ve been alone. There’s no hand-holding, no safety-in-numbers and no one to rely on except God.
4) No matter how high the waves, I’ve never drowned.
There were times, sometimes days at a time, when I was certain I couldn’t make it. But I’m here to tell you that God will never let you go.
I’m still not the first in line to jump overboard when the invitation to walk on water is issued, but I’ve learned to appreciate the closeness it brings to God and the lessons I’ve learned.
