Matthew 14:29-31 “Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.”
So often in our walk with God, we want to do good, we want to step out in faith, we want to see miracles. So, just like Peter, we step out of our boat. We step out of our unhealthy lifestyles, our toxic relationships, our addictions, and our unbelief. We get excited. We feel hope. We feel invincible. Then, more often than not, we become afraid and we fall. Then we beat ourselves up, we become discouraged and we start sinking beneath the waves of our shame.
Christianity was never designed to make much of what man can do. The truth is, we cannot do much on our own. John 15:15 says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” We find our purpose in Him. Not in our strength. Not in our talents. Not in our self-worth. Christianity was designed to make much of God and what He has already done.
In my story, I have spent most of my life trying to earn God’s approval and His affection. I have tried to play the part of a good Christian and a good girl. Even though that seems like a good thing, I have been completely motivated by fear. I was making much of myself and what I could do for God. About two years ago, I hit a massive breaking point. I felt that I was being crushed under the weight of doing everything I could to be good, and knowing that even then, I would never measure up. I started doing things I never thought I’d do. If following God required me being perfect all of the time, I didn’t want to follow him anymore. Around this time, I was leading worship for a week at a Young Life camp. The guys, unaware of what I was going through, asked me if I wanted to write a song. Somehow, I found myself in the middle of the writer’s circle that night when Dancing On The Waves was written. The chorus sings, ‘I’m reaching out, I’ll chase you down, I dare you to believe how much I love you now. Don’t be afraid, I am your strength. We’ll be walking on the water, dancing on the waves.”
For me, it felt like God was singing over me, proving to me that His love was not dependent on my perfection. He is constantly reaching out to me and will chase me down even when I want to run away. That is what Christianity is about - a great God, full of love, who is willing to do anything to reach us. His promise is that no matter where we are or what we’ve done, we are His masterpiece and the object of His greatest affection! There is no boundary too strong for Him. No fear. No shame. No sin. No defeat. He even crossed the boundary between heaven and earth and human flesh and bones to save us. Today, Jesus is reaching out to you, do you dare to reach back?
-Franni of We The Kingdom
