Thinking Outside the “Boat”!
By Karen D’Amore
When the disciples saw Him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” He said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
Matthew 14: 26-29 (NIV)
Jesus was stretching the disciples to exercise their faith in Him, for when He would no longer be with them...physically. Peter responds by exercising, what some may call... “reckless” abandoned faith! In my personal faith-walk, I recall wavering between doubt and trust, before recognizing that abandoned faith “colors outside the lines” and “thinks outside the box!” Here we see Jesus modeling “out of the box” behavior when, instead of arriving by boat, He reconnects with the disciples by walking on water. This unexpected method of arrival frightened the disciples, drawing them to question who Jesus was... thinking He was a ghost.
When I walked through a personal storm with cancer, I struggled to recognize God’s presence in it. Praying God would stop that storm, I found fear erupted when He didn’t. But like Peter, once I exercised faith and stepped out of the boat, I was able to walk on water...with Jesus. Through that experience, I learned that when Jesus doesn’t calm the storm, He’s calling us to walk in it...with Him!
While the other disciples remained in the safety of the boat, Peter steps out of his “comfort zone” and experiences the miracle of walking on water. Thinking outside the boat requires stepping out of our comfort zone...walking towards Jesus and trusting in His power. We must then continue that walk of faith by keeping our eyes on Jesus...instead of focusing on the stormy circumstances. Peter demonstrates how to conquer our fears by moving forward in faith...even when we’re afraid.
It’s encouraging how Jesus used the obstacle which made the disciples fearful (the sea) as a staircase for them to come to Him. Paralyzing fear was my initial response to my cancer diagnosis! When I stopped resisting that “storm” and allowed Jesus to rescue me and carry me through those rough waters, He became my anchor of hope. The obstacle which incited fear (cancer) and distanced me from Jesus became the staircase which drew me closer and strengthened my faith in Him.
We’re promised, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you” (Isaiah 43:2, NASB, emphasis added). Faith requires stepping out of the comfort of our “boats”...into the storm. It entails thinking outside the “boat” where the impossible becomes...Him-possible!
GOING DEEPER:
1. Are you docked in a safe harbor or walking on water?
FURTHER READING:
Married to Dan, Karen, a retired police officer, currently works as a Manicurist at Craig Berns Salon and a Foot Care Specialist at Shorehaven Senior Facility.
