On Sunday we talked about how Jesus came out of the grave to
call us out of the same! The story of
Matthew 14 is a perfect illustration as Jesus calls Peter out of his boat. But it was not until Peter and the others saw
the resurrected Christ that they went from being afraid to step out the boat to
being willing to give their very lives for his sake. The bottom line: If you want to walk on
water, you have to step out of the boat.
This week I have been honored to have people share with me about the
boat out of which they heard Jesus’ call them on Sunday. As I have been praying for us all to be brave
enough to obey Jesus’ call to come out to the water where he is, I was given an
illustration to share with you. I hope
it encourages you as you take that first step out of the boat.
Yesterday, I picked Anna up from gymnastics and she was
absolutely beaming. “Daddy! Daddy!” she
exclaimed, “I did it. I get to move up
to the next class.” This year, Anna
decided she wanted to give gymnastics a try.
We quickly learned that most girls interested in gymnastics did not wait
to start at age 9. Nevertheless, Anna
did not let it bother her that the other girls were much younger. She breezed through the first class. However, the second class was a different
story. One time. Two times.
Three times. Four times. She watched as other girls younger than her were
passed through to the next class while she was told she was not yet ready. Each time Anna would get the disappointing news,
she would say to me, “It’s OK, Daddy, each time I take the class I get
better. It will help me be better
prepared for the next class.” It was
that perspective that not only kept her going, but also seemed to gain the
respect of her instructors. I watched as
the instructors started giving her extra time and tips. They were rooting for
her to succeed. I admit that I was
starting to feel bad for her. I was
tempted to say, but I didn’t, “Are you sure you want to keep doing this?” But Anna did want to keep doing it. And when a lesser person like me would have
given up, she persevered. And yesterday
it all paid off. She passed!
I can’t seem to tell her enough of the character trait that
I see her nurturing and how proud I am of her.
However, the reason I share this is because as I saw the joy and
confidence on Anna’s face as she held up her certificate of completion, I believe
I was given a glimpse of what Jesus desires for you and me. There are plenty of logical reasons to stay
in the boat rather than walk on the water.
But this Sunday we will talk about how Jesus’ resurrection invites us to
see past the storm. Anna saw the prize
set before her before she attained it and so she found the courage and
motivation to press on. How much more
ought the promise of the resurrection to spur us on in the midst of the
storm? How much more ought the prize for
which we have been called heavenward to remind us that no matter how bad the storm
gets it will not have the final say for he/she who believes? How much more can we persevere being
encouraged by what will follow the storm?
I hope you will join us Sunday as we talk about how to
persevere once you step out of the boat.
Thank you, Anna, for your example and letting God give me an important
reminder. I sure did need it this week
as I try to step out and press on!
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