In On Waterwalking: Part I we discussed the analogy of Matthew 14, in which Jesus and Peter walked on water and Peter although afraid, overcame his fear by focusing and believing in the Lord.
In Part II, we will look at fear and how not facing fear will lead to more pain and failure in our lives than dealing with it.
Every apostle had the choice to get out of the boat and walk with Jesus yet only Peter faced his fear and did. Many times in our lives we have to choose to get out of the boat and face our fears or stay in the boat where it is comfortable and safe for us.
Some people reinforce their boats, put chairs on the boat, relax andbarbecue because the boat becomes their comfort zone, but the Lordnever meant for us to stay in the boat.
I believe one of the biggest reasons we choose to stay in the boat is because of our fear of failure. The fear of failure, change, discomfort or struggle often paralyzes us to act boldly so we choose to stay in the boat where it is safe and comfortable.
Yet failure in our lives does not determine our character or success, how we respond to failure does. Everyone will have failure in our lives, some will succumb and stop trying and others will respond positively, learn from their mistakes and move on.
And the biggest factor in facing our fears is that Jesus is not in the boat, in order to walk with the Lord, we must face our fears and get out of the boat. The water is where Jesus is. Getting out of the boat, growing in faith, dealing with crisis, opportunity, failure, and fear are all meant to be accomplished with the help of God.
The Lord also has a program designed to help us learn to get out of the boat and he places real world obstacles in our lives to help us grow and gain faith and courage. Yet, it all starts with faith in the Lord and believing Jesus will be there to catch you when you fall or fail.
When you get out of the boat sometimes you will fail but other times you will walk with the Lord. But trusting in the Lord and getting out of the boat is the first step.
Have you ever know someone who started life with fire, love and passion. They got married, had a wonderful marriage filled with love, respect, and understanding. They had hopes and dreams and were on fire going after their hopes and dreams together as a couple in love.
Then you see them years later. He and his wife are like strangers, after some setbacks, he now sits in his boat each night watching whatever sports, sitcom or reality show thats on TV. His hopes and dreams are long forgotten, locked away in a compartment in his heart that he rarely visits for fear of irritating the scars.
Is this what God intended for them?
Have you ever searched for a very important present? Looked all over town and the internet for the perfect gift for someone special. You spent time researching it, getting the best price and even sometimes spending extra money on engraving it to make it personal and unforgettable. You even picked out the perfect card and wrapping paper and wrote a small note capturing the importance of this person inside.
Then the special day comes and all your friends and family are present, you watch the other presents being opened and none of them even compare to your special gift. Then the time comes and you present the gift to your special person.
What if they looked at, said thank you and then never opened it?
No matter how hard you tried to convince them, they would not open your present.
Someday, we will stand before God and God will ask us how we used his gift of life? Did we use it to its fullest or did we forget to open some of the presents?
God then shows us all the times we could have used his gifts but we declined for fear of failure, change, discomfort or struggle. We always had some excuse why the timing wasn't right, we weren't ready financially, we needed more experience, etc.
Waterwalking is dependent upon God. We never know when God will call us for a mission. We have to listen, pray, ask hard questions and become brutally honest to discover if this mission is what God intends for us.
What really matters in life? Sports, Corporate Success, Keeping up with the Joneses?
Or Marriage, Parenting, and Friendships?
When God's mission comes, we must be ready. Ready to act boldly and step out ahead of our peers. Ready to shake off the worlds "version of success" and ready to face our fear and get out of the boat to walk with the Lord.
-Esse Quam Videri-