"Why did I have to open my mouth? Everyone is watching. I've never been so scared of these waves before. I know I'm safe here, I've always been safe here. This boat, yeah, this will keep me safe. Or will it? Lemme just play it safe. I don't think I can do this. Wait a minute, what am I thinking? Jesus said I can... JESUS said I can. I guess this is it. This is where the rubber meets the road... where my foot hits the water. Here goes..."
What was going on in Peter's mind when he stepped out of the boat. I mean think of it.. this was not the first time he was meeting Jesus. He had already decided to follow Jesus. He had already seen Jesus do great things; Heal the sick, raise the dead. Actually Peter had already witnessed Jesus calming a storm. But this moment was different. This moment was not about what Jesus could do. It was about what Jesus could do through Peter. All that he knew about Jesus now needed to express itself through an action. A small action, a small step. And yet a step which had lots depending on it. A step which would decide, whether in that moment Peter would actually trust what Jesus said. If Peter would actually act on faith.
The Christian walk is similar in this regard. Many of us know Jesus. We accept Him for Who He is. Believe what He says and put our faith in Him. But then comes the moment when He asks us to take that first step. The point when Jesus asks us to step out of our basic understanding of "Christianity" into a journey with Him. He calls us to convert our limited knowledge of Him into a first hand personal experience with Him. He desires to transform our understanding of Christianity, to stop being a collection of concepts, so that it can then become a daily relationship with Him; one which causes us to continuously grow, learn and act according to His will. He calls to take our first step.
Let me clarify why I call this the "first" step. After all this wasn't the first time Peter acted in faith, was it? He had just left his boats and nets and followed Jesus. That's pretty big isn't it? At least I would say so. That was a big act of faith. However, this moment was one in which Peter's choice would literally have no turning back. Either Jesus upheld His end of the bargain or Peter drowned and died. There was no backup plan. No earthly explanation so as to why this would work. The only thing that Peter had to go by was, what Jesus had spoken.
Let's go back to the last time there is a similar situation. Disciples on the boat, Jesus asleep and a raging storm. Jesus wakes up, rebukes the wind and the waves... and it is calm. But they were all still in the boat. Think of it. Peter was a fisherman. He must have been really comfortable in a boat. He must have faced waves in the past and always known how to be safe in the boat. So Jesus calming the storm is cool and all, but he was still afloat on the boat. This time however, Jesus is calling him out of the boat. This time it's just the words of Jesus against all the raging seas and storms. So this time is different. And for this reason I call this the "first" step. Not the first step of faith, but the first step of a total commitment.
So what was your "first" step? Have you taken it yet? Are you still taking such steps? Some questions we all need to consider. You make such steps every time you listen to the voice of God, and act in faith. Even when all your intelligence and all your experience tells you otherwise. Even when this voice of God is calling you to do something that you think is impossible for you. What is the boat that Jesus is calling you to leave? Is he asking you to leave the comfort of a familiar job or a familiar city. Maybe he wants you to grow beyond the basic "Christianity" that comes from being born in a believing family. Maybe he wants you to stop relying on a rumour based relationship with God to have a first hand relationship with Jesus.
And when you start to commit yourself fully to God. When you are willing to go wherever Jesus takes you cause your realize that He IS your safety and comfort. You embark on a wonderful journey, a fulfilling adventure, because that most awesome person in the universe walks with you - Jesus. And this first step becomes the first step to learn what Jesus wants you to learn, not just by listening, but by walking. It becomes your first step to learning by walking.
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