Get Out of the Boat

We’ve all seen those signs outside of churches that have those funny or witty phrases. I love these! They always seem to put a smile on my face.
Most of these are quite humorous, for example:

• We are not Dairy Queen, but we have great Sundays.
• God didn’t create anything without a purpose, but mosquitos come pretty close.
• If your life stinks, we have a pew for you.

But some of these signs really make you think, like:

• Come as you are. You can change inside.
• Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?
• If you want to walk on water, you have to get out of the boat.

This last one is a perfect tie-in with today’s Gospel, because Jesus wasn’t just calling Peter to walk on water – but Jesus is also calling us to do the same. But we have to be able to hear his voice when he calls – and it’s not always in the way that we imagine how God would call.

For example, take Elijah in our first reading. He was expecting to encounter the Lord in the big stuff. But his encounter wasn’t in the strong wind, the crushing rocks, or in the earthquake or the fire. But it was a tiny, whispering sound that revealed God’s presence. It was a soft-spoken voice that could have easily been missed if he wasn’t paying attention. It was that same gentle voice that was calling Elijah to service.

God’s divine power is often found in calmness and stillness. That’s why we need to pay attention because God’s presence is all around us, in everything we encounter on a daily basis: in nature, in our relationships (family, friends and even strangers), and yes, even in our own gifts that we have been given. It is those God-given gifts that we are being called to use in the service of others. That’s why we’re summoned to answer the call of Jesus and to walk in his footsteps, regardless of how impossible it may be – even if that means that we have to walk on water; and that, my friends is really terrifying!

If you are I are supposed to walk on water, what exactly does that mean? It’s not physically walking on water, but it means that we are to:

• Show mercy to others by forgiving those who hurt us.
• Be that ray of light in a world filled with darkness.
• Stand up for what is right no matter how unpopular it may be.
• Love our neighbor – not liking; not tolerating; but truly loving our neighbor – and treating everyone (and I do mean everyone) as a child of God – because they are.
• Live the Gospel by raising our voices for those who have no voice and by protecting the human dignity of the unborn, the poor, the migrant, and the prisoner.
• Put our complete and total trust in Jesus in order to answer when he softly and gently calls us to “Come.”

But walking on water also means realizing that Jesus won’t let us sink. No matter what storms we may face in our lives – whether its family, finances, sickness, depression, anxiety, temptations, fear, grief, pain, stress, or fill in the blank here – Jesus will always be there to reach out his hand to catch us, just like he did with Peter.

But here’s the thing: launching out into the deep or out into the unknown requires faith. Remember, Peter never would have walked on water if he first hadn’t got out of the boat! The boat was his security blanket and he needed to leave that behind. What’s holding us back?

We really like the safety and security of our boat. What defines our boat? Our boat is our everyday lives. It’s our habits, our routines, our movements – it’s all those things that we do almost unconsciously that make us feel comfortable. And you know what? Comfortable feels safe. But Jesus isn’t calling us to be comfortable. He’s calling us to follow in his footsteps, to get out of the boat and walk on water.

The key to walking on water is that we must always keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, even when the storms of life are crashing in all around us. When we take our eyes off of Jesus and let all these other things in life distract us, we begin to lose our footing (sea legs). We begin to feel weak, doubtful, desperate, helpless, and maybe even hopeless. When we begin to sink into the depths of our own misery and pain, it is vitally important that we keep looking for God to help us through those difficult times, no matter how bad they might be. It’s then when we need to remind ourselves that Jesus is always near.

When we experience that terrible, sinking feeling that completely overtakes us, try praying this short and simple prayer of Peter: “Lord, save me!” Or simply imagine this beautiful vision: as we stretch out our hand in prayer to Jesus, Jesus is also stretching out his hand to us. And when our hands join, Jesus will grab on tight and lift us up because he loves us that much.

My sisters and brothers, it’s time for us to leave our fears behind, take that leap of faith, and step out of our comfort zone. Jesus is calling each one of us to walk on water and make a difference in the world. The first thing we need to do is get out of the boat!

What would you do if you encountered God? Find out.