Written By Ken Hulsey
Imagine you're sailing on a lake, gazing toward the shore. Suddenly, a figure emerges. After a few moments, you discern it's a man - and to your astonishment, he's walking across the water toward you. The man draws nearer and nearer until you recognize him as Jesus. As he approaches to within fifty yards, he stops and gestures for you to step out of the boat and join him on the water.
At that point, I would have a serious dilemma.
As a child, I developed two deep-seated fears - heights and water. When I was a toddler, my brother and sister-in-law took me to the beach. Excited to see the ocean, I ran straight into the water before my family could stop me. The incoming tide quickly knocked me down, and I went under. While I'm not sure if I was ever in true danger of drowning, the terrifying experience left a lasting impact. My family swiftly pulled me from the water, unharmed. Understandably, this incident instilled a lifelong aversion to swimming that I've never overcome.
Even now, faced with the prospect of stepping out of a boat, as Peter did to walk on water with Jesus, that deep-seated fear would hold me back. I know in my heart that Jesus would protect me, but the lingering trauma from my childhood would be difficult to overcome.
Reflecting deeply on it, I'm struck by the ridiculousness of my own anxieties. As I sit here, vividly imagining the scenario, I can feel the anxiety welling up - a clear sign that my faith is in need of growth. Even with Jesus himself before me, I know I would hesitate to step out onto the water. This makes me wonder how many miraculous opportunities I've missed out on due to my lack of faith. The water represents the hurdles that life constantly presents us. We all have fears and phobias that hold us back from living life to the fullest. If only we could cultivate true, unwavering faith in God, we would have nothing left to fear.
If I were to encounter Jesus face-to-face, I believe I would be so overcome with emotion that I could step out of the boat and walk, perhaps even run, to the Savior. As Jesus said in Matthew 17:20, "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." We should not let our fears hold us back, but rather step out in faith and experience the miracle.
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