The guys in the boat shake their heads and fold their hands in their laps. “Not fine at all, no thanks Jesus, we think we’ll stay right where we are thank you very much.” But this Jesus guy is persistent and He calls the stubborn ole’ disciples out of the nice cozy boat and onto the freakin’ water to be with Him. He knows it’ll be better in the long run for them to leave the safety of the boat and experience the waves, even if it’s a little scary.
Peter’s the brave one. Then he has a brief moment of doubt and the water starts to rise and he panics - but then suddenly Jesus is holding his hand and everything gets quiet and even though the storm is raging on around them, it’s still where Jesus stands (and did I mention He’s standing ON the water??). Peter is trembling all over the place and probably swearing like a sailor (pun intended) because this shit’s SCARY, dude.
But Jesus is there. And He’s looking Peter in the eyes and asking Peter why he ever doubted Jesus in the first place. Yeah, the waves are intense and the wind is something out of the Wizard of Oz but everything is okay because Jesus is there. Everything is okay. Everything is okay.
“Everything is okay,” He says.
We live in near-impenetrable bubbles and boats. Our homes, our workplaces, our schools and universities are safe, warm bubbles that provide protection from the outside world. We can avoid eye contact with the homeless man on the corner on our commute home, and we can turn off the news when it gets too intense. We can even shy away from confrontation when an argument with a friend gets out of hand. We can neglect to have difficult conversations. But rather than pretending these rocky spaces don’t exist, we are called to lean in closer, sink deeper, and step out onto the water because that’s where Jesus is, and that’s where He will meet us. So take a leap of faith out onto that dang water.
But Jesus is there. And He’s looking Peter in the eyes and asking Peter why he ever doubted Jesus in the first place. Yeah, the waves are intense and the wind is something out of the Wizard of Oz but everything is okay because Jesus is there. Everything is okay. Everything is okay.
“Everything is okay,” He says.
We live in near-impenetrable bubbles and boats. Our homes, our workplaces, our schools and universities are safe, warm bubbles that provide protection from the outside world. We can avoid eye contact with the homeless man on the corner on our commute home, and we can turn off the news when it gets too intense. We can even shy away from confrontation when an argument with a friend gets out of hand. We can neglect to have difficult conversations. But rather than pretending these rocky spaces don’t exist, we are called to lean in closer, sink deeper, and step out onto the water because that’s where Jesus is, and that’s where He will meet us. So take a leap of faith out onto that dang water.
He’s waiting.
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