At Least He Got Out of the Boat!

I was inspired by my "anchor" blog yesterday enough to give me "meat" for my blog today. Here comes Jesus walking on the water. He calls Peter to come to Him, so in a bold, audacious step of faith, Peter got out of the boat and started walking on water. He didn't hesitate. He took a leap, rather a walk, of faith. But when he took his eyes off of Jesus, he started sinking. Jesus saved the day for him and picked him up. (Matthew 14:22-33). Way to go, Peter! Way to save, Jesus!

I’ve heard many messages and sermons on Peter’s lack of faith. But, I started thinking, at least he had the faith to get out of the boat. After all, the other disciples just sat there in their fear. We shouldn’t criticize Peter for sinking. If only he would have kept his eyes on Jesus – the story would be one of great faith! Our story would be one of great faith, too, if we would keep OUR eyes on Jesus and not on our circumstances.

I am sure the boat squatters thought Peter was un poco loco for what he did. They were huddled, yearning to be free, and not trusting in Jesus like Peter did. I'm not saying those men didn’t have faith. Just saying they didn’t have enough faith to step out of the boat. Just the same, we cannot say anything to Peter because too often we are not getting out of the boat either! No matter the storm or situation we are faced with, it's up to us to get out of the boat and trust Jesus!

You know the deal -- when we stretch our faith, and go for it: "Yes, we're buying a house" or "Yes, we're going to start our family" or "Yes, we are going to adopt" or "Yes, I'm accepting the job offer even though the pay is less. It's what I love to do" or "Yes, I will run a marathon" or "Yes, I will start a Bible Study in my home" or "Yes, I'm quitting smoking" or "Yes, we're moving!" It's all about TRUSTING God to hold us up, when we stretch our faith to "walk on water"!

It's that first step that holds so many of us back. But, it's time for us to get out of our comfort zone. Sometimes God shakes things up around us to make us so uncomfortable that we will strive to move from where we are, to the next level of our destiny. And, those adversities we are facing? God could be allowing them to push us out of the boat and into the deep, so He can bless us with a new level of faith, maturity and blessings! It's time to live with "no regrets" and for us to learn to let go of our fears and insecurities, and to reach out for life at its fullest. Even if we fall, as Peter did, there will always be SOMEONE to reach out and help us get our balance again! And, by the way, our Lifeguard DOES walk on water -- so no need to worry or fret!

Take the Leap of Faith

Hanging with my sweet grandson always leads to talking about animals -- after all, he has 32 animals of his own. Seems we integrate some kind of animal story into just about every conversation. After all, I've dubbed him the "animal whisperer" because all of those critters seem to calm in his presence.

I heard a very interesting message about the Impala, a medium-sized African antelope. The only "Impala" I ever knew about was the Chevrolet Impala -- particularly because it was my husband's first car. Little did I realize that the name "Impala" was selected for the Chevy because of the characteristics of the animal, the Impala. The Impala's most characteristic movement is its unique leap. In the wild, they can run at very high speeds and jump to heights of 10 feet over bushes and even other Impala, and they can cover distances of up to 33 feet in one leaping bound. That's quite amazing that their inbred abilities give them that extra "protection" against being prey for more dominant animals.

But, here's the most interesting fact about the Impala. If they are held captive in zoos by a mere 36-inch wall, they will not act on their natural instincts. That's because they simply can't see what's on the other side of that little wall. What stands between them and freedom is taking a leap of faith.

Friday night we watched a "Running Wild With Bear Grylls" TV episode with Deion Sanders as his guest celebrity to take to a challenging adventure that included jumping a canyon and eating snake. As fearless as Deion might have seemed as a running back for the Dallas Cowboys, we witnessed him being paralyzed with fear to have to jump a canyon. No positive words that Bear spoke to him had enough motivation to give him the courage to jump. But when Deion started praying HARD out loud and in tongues, within a few moments, he had gained the courage to take that "leap of faith"....and he did so successfully.

What a testament to God's stamp of approval with this post today when I looked up at my friends' glass case and I saw an Impala inside (pictured here) -- never saw it before, but on this day, I knew God was giving me a high-five on this message for us!

Perhaps we are like the Impala -- if we can see where we're headed, if we know what our destination is, if we know the end result -- we'll give it all we've got. But what if the way isn't clear? What if there's a killer-gap between our start to finish? What if we don't know what tomorrow holds? What if we don't have all the answers? But still, what if we take a LEAP OF FAITH even though we don't know what is on the other side? It's about TRUSTING in He Who already knows and has the plans for our tomorrows. We simply TRUST. Proverbs 3:5,6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths" -- and, I might add.....even give you extra turbo-charged energy and power to "run through a troop and LEAP OVER THE WALL!" Psalm 18:29.

Maybe we should sing along with Diana Ross....'There ain't no mountain (or walls) high enough to keep me from..... leaping over them!"

Count It All Joy!

Ever seen a baby that was laughing and so full of joy, that you were just magnetically drawn to him / her? You may have remarked, "What a joyful baby!" Of course they are, they have no worries, no concerns, all their needs are met, and they just live in their own world of comfort and pleasure.

So do you exude joy so much that people are drawn to you? Joy is NOT happiness. Happiness is typically what we receive or see in the world around us -- what's going on outside us -- when skies are blue and birds are singing and bills are paid and relationships are fine and we're all healthy and strong. But, JOY comes from deep within, and we have it in spite of gray skies and tough circumstances.

James 1:2 says: "My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into various trials....", REALLY? Count the trials for joy??? As we mentally shift from the “woe is me syndrome” into the “count it all as joy mentality,” then our inner joy will be released from the inside to the outside. Our actions will mimic our thoughts.

Psalms 28:7 says: "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me. My heart leaps for JOY, and with my song, I praise Him."

Yes, like that sweet baby, knowing that our God IS our strength, we can trust in Him, and our hearts will leap for joy and our outside will radiate what's on the inside. After all, we know our Father has it ALL under control. Indeed, we can be JOY-FULL and FULL of JOY!!!!