A Boat's Eye View
This morning, I've been thinking a lot about when Peter walked on water. It's funny how we label the story that way, isn't it? Why not call it "The night 11 of the disciples were too afraid to move"? Why not call it "Water walking with all the other boats in the same storm looking on"? Most of the time, I've heard it referred to as when Peter walked on the water, Jesus walked on the water, or Jesus calmed the storm. No matter what perspective we view the account in Matthew 14, several things were going on at the same time.
There are a few things that stick out in these few verses. Of course, we know that Jesus ultimately brought peace. He calmed the storm that He had sent His disciples into just a few short hours earlier. He also came to His disciples in the middle of the storm. He didn't wait until the storm calmed - and He didn't calm the storm before He headed over toward their boat. Now that's a thought - He could have calmed the storm before He walked to them.
The storm revealed lots of heart conditions. From a boat's eye view, we see Peter fully trusting Jesus and jumping out of the boat to go to Him. We tend to give him a hard time because he sinks when he looked away. But he got out of the boat. The stormy sea and boat worked to reveal how much Peter trusted Jesus. What we don't usually hear mentioned is the 11 other disciples that just held onto the boat for dear life.
Peter sank in a desperate attempt to get to Jesus. And there's no way Jesus was going to let Peter drown.
Sometimes we tend to focus on the fact that Peter sunk. We totally ignore the fact that he got out of the boat in the first place with 11 others sitting by. Don't we do this to ourselves too? Maybe it's just me, but it's so easy to dwell on the ways I fall short, the areas where I sink, and my own failures without realizing that I'm still jumping out of a boat on a stormy sea every day in an attempt to get to Him. Let's celebrate that.
Being a caregiver can feel like living in a boat, on the sea, in a storm. But if we look, we'll see Jesus coming to meet us in our boat right in the middle of the storm. He's right there for us whether we sink, swim, walk on water, or stay in the boat, and He brings His peace with Him.
Today, I'll remind myself that Jesus is walking to me right in the middle of caregiving. The storm hasn't scared Him off, and He'll even stay after He brings peace to my soul. My meditations will be on His presence and how I can get to Him, even if it means taking a chance and jumping out of the boat. I will trust Him to keep me from drowning in my own emotions and circumstances today as I reach for Him with all my strength. Will you join me?
Today's Facebook live on this same topic (without the focus on caregiving!)
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