Walking on Water

(This is a repost from my old Multiply site.)
 
I took my time reading John Ortberg’s book, If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat.  I can read some books in just a few days but I took four months to read this one.  And not because it was boring.  It took me a while to read it because it freaked me out and I just knew it’s what God’s doing in my life now—it’s time to walk on water! 

There were many times when I just had to put the book down, and I even tried to put it back on the shelf, because it was convicting me too much and spoke too much about my own situation. But I finally finished it, and here are some nuggets from the book and my thoughts on his thoughts . . .

In water-walking, there’s always a call.  “God asks an ordinary person to engage in an act of extraordinary trust, that of getting out of the boat.”  Don’t try to do it if God hasn’t called you to—because courage should definitely be coupled by wisdom and discernment.

Aside from the call, there’s always fear.  “God has an inextinguishable habit of asking people to do things that are scary to them.”  But think of the worst thing that can happen if you try, and hopefully you’ll see it’s not so bad after all.  “Failing” or your exaggerated version of what could happen if you screw up is not as bad as staying on the boat when you’re supposed to get out!  Besides, “there is no guarantee that life in the boat is going to be any safer.”  And after that experience, even though Peter did sink a bit, he was still the only one of the disciples who actually did the unthinkable and unexplainable.

We fight the fear with a reassurance of God’s presence, and the decisions that follow will help us to never be the same.  Water-walking will surely change our lives.  When we choose comfort over risk, it becomes a habit and what’s worse, if we don’t heed God’s voice, we will not be doing what He has called us to do.  It’s not worth staying in the boat and miss out on the growth, challenges and opportunities that could come your way if you take a risk and follow God.

The single most striking in Ortberg’s book for sentence me is this: “Unrealized potential is a sin.” He goes on to explain, “Imagine watching all that God might have done with your life if you had let Him.”  I put the book down at that moment and made a decision to live my life—this one life I have to live—the way God wants me to, and if that means new challenges and risks, so be it!

The book has so many more principles that will help you get out of your comfort zone.  For me, the past few months have been some of the most exciting but scary times.  And the challenge continues—I will finally try my hand at teaching in a few weeks and let’s see how that turns out too! 

Thanks so much to my family, friends and mentors who encouraged me, prayed for me and stood with me at this time.  Walking on water is much more fun with a boatful of friends egging me on . . .

But let me egg you on a bit too—what about you—is there an area of your life that maybe God’s calling you to get out of the boat?  What’s holding you back from walking on water and encountering Jesus like never before?

If I were you, I’d try walking on water—there’s nothing like trusting God and experiencing all He has for you!