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When we take our eyes off Jesus, we tend to sink, to fail, to fall. But when we keep our eyes on Jesus, we rise, we sail, we soar.
Jesus is talking today about conquering our fears and doubts by trusting in him. This applies to everything in our lives if we just heed His words of encouragement: "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."
The trials we face in our lives tell us a lot about God and about ourselves.
Something Seattle Bishop Muggenborg said about this scripture hits home, “Sometimes we only discover our potential when we have to utilize every resource for our survival. Sometimes it is in the midst of our darkest night and greatest feelings of abandonment that we realize God has been with us all along…
Sometimes we can be like Peter and ask God to prove Himself because we doubt His presence in the midst of our life struggles as well. Sometimes we can think that we should be able to overcome all our life challenges and problems in spectacular ways as a witness of our discipleship. The reality is that our lives are filled with weakness, tragedy, and uncontrollable circumstances that sometimes make us feel like we are sinking. That’s not a sign of our lack of faith, or of God’s absence, but can be the motivation for us to call out to God as our Savior. Remember, Jesus can't be our Savior if we don’t acknowledge our need for a Savior. Peter had to be brought to a desperate state before he called out to the Lord to be his Savior, and sometimes so do we.”
Don’t we all experience these moments in our lives?
Lately, the news of the world is causing much fear and doubt, testing all our faiths. Now, more than ever, we need to remember Jesus’ words, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."
It was exactly eight summers ago this month that I went on a nearly fatal kayaking trip from the Mukilteo waterfront.
A buddy joined me, a meteorologist and longtime TV forecaster.
As we were about to set off, I asked him if he was at all worried about the odd skies looming over Whidbey Island. He told me he’d keep an eye on it, but otherwise wasn’t too concerned.
So, we launched, slowly paddling around the Mukilteo Tank Farm toward Everett. As we cleared the long pier of the Tank Farm and entered open waters the waves started to get a little rougher.
That crazy sky was starting to move overhead. Winds were kicking up. Waters began to roil. But we kept paddling.
Eventually, waves of two to three feet were breaking over the boat. So, we decided to turn around and head back to our launch point.
Just off the end of the Mukilteo Tank Farm pier, a rogue wave sideswiped my kayak, flipping the boat in rough waters. I quickly climbed out from under a capsized boat.
Seconds before this all happened I was in deep prayer, asking, “Lord Jesus, I’m only two months away from ordination and now I’m going to drown on Puget Sound? Why make me go through four grueling years of formation only to take my life now? What did I do wrong? Are you trying to tell me something?”
But the minute my body hit the cold Puget Sound water, an unexplainable calm came over me and I knew I was going to be OK. Truly, it was an indescribable peace.
Just like Elijah, I didn’t hear the voice of God in the roaring of the seas or the rushing of the wind, but in a quiet whisper -- underwater.
It was almost as if Jesus was saying to me in the quiet of my heart, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."
Now I must confess. Kayaking was a new endeavor for me that summer. To be truthful, I had not taken any safety classes yet and not learned yet how to get back in a boat once capsized or roll a boat from a capsized position. These are things every experienced kayaker knows how to do.
I emerged from underwater, thankful I was wearing a good life vest, grabbed my 17-foot kayak and started to swim toward shore.
We were nearly a quarter mile from the beach and knew I’d have to pace myself to get there and not let go of my boat.
But the whole time I paddled to shore, I knew I’d be OK. Rough waters, salty gulps of seawater, and all.
There was absolutely no fear. No panic. Just calm.
Now, perhaps you were thinking I was going to say Jesus appeared, I picked up my boat and walked across the water with Christ?
My faith is strong, but I guess, like Peter, not that strong. But Christ was present in my experience in a deep and meaningful way, calming the stormy seas of my heart, grabbing me by hand and leading me to shore, and silencing all my fears.
Sure, it’s sometimes easy to get too focused on the wind and the waves encountered in the storms of our life experiences, and get overwhelmed by fear and doubt, but let us never take your eyes off Jesus. And hear his voice saying, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."
And always remember, sometimes the Lord speaks the loudest to us in that “tiny whispering sound” in our hearts.
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