Leap of Faith... Let's be Realistic

First let me begin with an apology that I am a day late in posting this for you! I have lots of excuses I'm sure you care not to hear... But, I didn't have internet at the time I would normally post (lunchtime) and I went straight to a friend's home after work was finished and did not get home until too late. So I am sorry and I hope you don't hate me now, haha!

The other night I was reading Matthew 14... I came across a familiar story I've heard people explain and expound upon many times... But I noticed something I hadn't before... It's the story of Jesus sending his disciples in a boat before him while he went to pray... While on their journey, actually smack-dab in the middle of it, a storm blew up.  The storm must not have been wimpy because it was enough that even the professional fishermen in the boat thought they might die.  Now, I've seen a few storms on the sea on t.v. and been mighty glad I've never had to face one from a boat, somehow all the security a boat has to offer seems so flimsy in a storm!Already fear laden one of the men noticed something on the water... It looked like a person walking, but we all know people can't walk on water... It must have been a ghost! At least that's what they thought and on top of the threat of the storm, well, wouldn't that be just great, imagine you were on the boat, we know now what was going on but if you have any imagination at all you can put yourself in the position of being part of what was happening and not knowing what was going on or how it would turn out and you can't tell me you wouldn't have been pretty much out of your mind with fear. As a child I was terrified at the thought of a ghost or spirit and even thought I was taught not to believe in ghosts I'm not so sure that teaching would have held up to seeing something walking on a stormy sea at night coming toward me... I can just picture it now, either I'd have fainted or I would be like the lion in the Wizard of Oz "I do believe in ghosts, I do believe in ghosts, I do, I do, I do, I do, I do!"

Now that the mood is set, imagine this apparition you're viewing calls out... Tells you not to fear, I've always though "oh, that's nice of you Jesus.. Calming them all like that." Realistically I don't know what I was ever thinking... Like would you just think "oh, okay, never mind, it's a friendly ghost. Why was I worried at all, common over Casper!" Ugh, probably not... My mind would probably be more apt to follow a thought of "oh, he's trying to trick us... Then he'll eat us!" But I suppose, maybe they somewhat recognized the voice over the thunder and crashing waves when He said "it is I." Peter must have noticed something... Or at least out of disbelief he uttered "If it's you bid me come." Only one word in return "Come." But here's the deal, great, all I get is a come... No defence as to why I should believe it's really Jesus... No proof, no calming the waves before I decide to get out of the boat? I would like to think I would get out at just one word but let's face it, I'm pretty sure I would have been looking for more and you would too... Not Peter, he just gets out of the boat!

This next sentence is the part I hadn't really noticed or thought about before; it says "when Peter had come down out of the ship..."  First when Peter came down... I guess I had always pictured a row boat size or something, most likely just because I never really thought about it...

But this would have been a boat large enough to carry thirteen people, minimum, that's not a dingy... The boat was large enough to be called a "ship." Getting out of a boat that size is not just a step down, you'd have to jump... That means Peter didn't just walk on the water, he jumped on it... Or fell onto it, and the water held him!  Peter literally took a leap of faith off the side of the ship and onto water solid enough to hold his weight and the force of the fall... We always look at the "oh ye of little faith, why did you doubt" and think "yeh, Pete, why'd ya doubt, the water was holding you up, why'd you think four feet out you'd sink... Common, bud, be brave.." First, if it were me (and I'm willing to be, if you were honest, you) I most likely would not have gotten one toe over the side with only a "come" invitation from something that, yes, at best is Jesus but at worst is some sort of imagining stemming from my panic and I'm just leaving whatever hope of safety I have and the fear of sinking would most likely overtake me. So yes, Peter began to sink but he had the faith to take the chance in the first place when we would most likely have been in the boat with the rest of them...  Jesus wasn't angry with Peter for falling but proud of Peter for taking a step at all!  Just like when a child stumbles and falls when they're learning to walk, we don't think or say "I'm so embarrassed to be your parent/aunt/uncle/grandparent, fall again and I'm never asking you to come to me again!" No, we are proud they are trying!

So what did I learn? One, I'm proud of Peter too, no more thinking "why didn't you just trust that the same water holding you up now would hold you up five minutes from now?" but now "I can't believe you did that! I need to be more like you, Pete!" And just as I can now see Peter taking a leap of faith and stumbling, needing Jesus to help him, I need to ask myself in what areas I've been refusing to take a chance because of fear of the stumble... Fear of what the people staying behind in the safety of the boat might think or say... Fear of embarrassing or disappointing myself, others around me or Jesus... Whatever area that is, both for my own life and for yours, we must refuse to allow fear to control us, we must take our own leap of faith knowing that no matter the outcome, it's the leap that really counts!