What happened to Peter as he walked on the water, heading toward Jesus? You know the story. He sees Jesus walking on the water and says, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” And hearing the command, he steps into the lake and heads toward Jesus. Then he notices the wind blowing strongly and begins to sink. What happened?
Did he “lose faith” as Jesus seems to say? “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” If he did, I think he lost faith in himself, not Jesus. I’ve seen children learning to do something for the first time, such as riding a skate board. In the midst of their success, they falter and fall. Is it a lack of practice? Or is it a sudden realization of how unnatural this act is or incredulity at their ability to do something that appears so hard. Some will be reluctant to try again. They’ve lost faith, as it were.
I think it’s pretty human to “notice the wind” that seems to often blow against us as we muddle through life. And when we do to lose confidence. The important thing seems to be what happens next? Do you sink as Peter did? Or do you duck your head into the wind and press on?
Pressing on is tough. It’s tough to get back up on the skateboard. It’s tough to get back on the bike. It’s tough to power through a troubled marriage, trying to recover what has been lost. It’s tough to push aside all those well intended people in our lives to tell us to “hang it up—stop beating your head against the wall.” But, so what? So it’s tough.
Peter might have felt very different about himself if he’d said, “Let me try again Jesus.” Who knows?
Peace,
Jerry+
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