STEPPING OUT- Shell Snyder
“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said.Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.”
When you hear the word brave, what comes to mind? Images of Marvel superheroes doing the impossible with strength and poise? The firefighter running into the open flames of a burning building? Or maybe the family who just moved halfway across the world to a remote village to share the gospel?
Whether fictional or in real life, stories of bravery may feel like they are only for the few, for the well…brave. But what does it really take to be brave? Is it a smokin’ hot bod like Wonder Woman? (Welp, there goes my chances!) Is it something that you’re born with, reserved only for the naturally courageous and enduring type? Something we can choose? Or can bravery be something that dwells deep within us waiting for the invitation to be unleashed?
We don’t typically hear the story of Peter walking on the water as a sermon illustration for bravery. However, in that moment Peter was the bravest one on the boat and while yes, he did begin to sink, his first steps were on the water. He was the only one who took a chance and the only one who knew the joy and pleasure of walking on the water with Jesus back to the boat, hand in hand. He trusted the One whose voice he knew. He didn’t do a quick risk analysis or weigh the pros or cons. He looked to Jesus, he heard His voice. He told him to “Come” and he came. This is the key.
I don’t think any of us will have the opportunity to walk on water and we probably will never be the hero in a headline. But bravery shows up in the woman who is stepping into therapy for the first time, the college graduate building a business from the ground up, or a young mom writing her first book because lesson here is the same. Bravery is awakened in the face of fear.
It’s the moment where you draw from what was in you all along, namely the power of the Holy Spirit. As I write this, we are in the beginning steps of becoming foster parents. And I. AM. TERRIFIED. But I’m saying Yes to God’s invitation to step out and be brave. Being brave doesn’t mean I’m not afraid. It means I know that what’s on the other side of my yes is better than staying “safe.”