Lifelong Impact from a Sermon and Other Life Lessons

Why Did Peter Climb Out of The Boat?

Many of the memories of sermons or experiences I have shared in previous chapters have been from a long time ago. This is more recent. It is also from the first female pastor to lead my home church. We bonded over many topics. She was preaching about the disciple Peter and the well-known passage found in Matthew chapter 14: verses 22-33 where Jesus walks out to his disciples on the water and Peter walks on the water to meet him but notices the storm and begins to sink.

Pastor S comments that this passage is usually summed up to remind us to keep our focus on Jesus and to trust Him always. Well, we are human. We do have fear and uncertainty. Sometimes we see the storms coming and sometimes the waves catch us and toss us in the air completely unprepared. Peter was human too. It would be convenient if we could all master fear and doubt, but we have many reasons why that is difficult.

There's even a song that has been my anthem, the words of it I've claimed as my own heartsong that speaks to this. It's by Casting Crowns and it's called 'The Voice of Truth.' The song begins with the words 'Oh, what I would do if I had the faith to climb out of the boat I'm in onto the crashing waves, to step out of my comfort zone into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is and He's holding out His hand.

What had an impact this time was a brand-new perspective given by Pastor S. She said instead of putting Peter down for his lack of faith, we should lift up the courage it took to climb out of the boat at all. Think about it, he was a fisherman. He knew how water works. He had to put aside everything he knew from his whole life of how the world worked to even consider the attempt to get out of the boat and walk on the water toward Jesus. And he DID it anyway!

It takes a lot of courage to try something new. Maybe every attempt will not be successful, but if we only went for the sure thing, there'd be a lot that didn't happen.

That's part of why I decided to start sharing stories on this site. To try something new, to be brave enough to put something out there not knowing how it would be received, to take a chance.

The last verse from this passage is Jesus' response to Peter's panic. The words may sound harsh if all you're used to is criticism. Since they are written words, we have to put our own interpretation of the tone used. Consider instead of harsh and critical, that Jesus' words were gentle and understanding. Take a moment and say them to yourself with each inflection. How do you feel if you are Peter?

"You of little faith, why did you doubt?"

I think Jesus knew why Peter doubted. It's the same reason we have doubts and fears. WE ARE HUMAN.

Maybe Jesus wanted Peter to be self-aware of his humanity so he would have compassion and understanding for others and their short-comings.

The other side of this is that Peter was going to be the one to carry on when Jesus was no longer with them, and he was going to need to be strong.

A further thought I had comes from the movie Men In Black. J is frustrated how hard K is being on him as he is training him as his partner. K explains the misconception of what he is doing.  He explains to J that he's not been training a partner, but a replacement. Now, Jesus has not been neutralized as K was, but He does direct His followers to continue His work here while goes to prepare our place in heaven. It's called the Great Commission and it is found in Matthew chapter 28: verses 19+20.  

I appreciate both aspects of this message and what I can take from it.

1. Jesus is trustworthy and has proven His love for us, so I can step out in His name boldly.

2. Jesus knows I am human and will mess up, so it's okay to try something even if it's not perfect.

3. These truths are there for everyone, so I need to be less critical and more encouraging when someone makes an effort.

The encouragement to TRY even if it's not perfect is a challenge to me. I'm familiar with criticism and so it's what I expect even before I begin, but I'm trying to do better and that's a start.

Hopefully, this encourages you to give others and yourself a little grace and patience and understanding, recognizing the bravery in the attempt.

I like the Special Olympics motto: 'Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.'  Maybe the obstacles you have to overcome look different, but that's okay.

If people of faith and compassion would be brave in their attempts to make this a better world, then we would see a better world. It really is that simple.