Weekly Words

The “Other” Water Walker

Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.
-- Robert Kennedy

…so Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus.
Matthew 14:29 (NRSV)

We often forget that Jesus was not the only one who walked on water. The story of Jesus walking on water is salient and significant to so many of us for varying reasons. Some of us cherish the miraculous memory of Jesus’ feet being stabilized by the wind-washed waves of a storming sea. Others of us, highlight Peter’s drowning when he took his eyes off Jesus and began to take inventory of the strength of the whirling winds all about him. Yet, I want to briefly persuade us that we miss a very powerful point in this story if we do not take note of the fact that Peter did walk on water too.

While the other disciples were paralyzed by the fear of a menacing thunderstorm and spooked by what they thought was a ghost, Peter was bold and brazen enough to get out of the boat. Imagine that!!! The fatal hand of failure was lurking in the midst of howling winds and crashing waves, and Peter gets the bright idea to walk on water. No life jacket, no hand rails, no ladder on the wall of the pool. All Peter had was hope in the helping hand of Jesus and faith in the sustaining and stabilizing power of Jesus’ presence. Nevertheless, this was enough for Peter, and he got out of the boat. No other disciple can give testimony to the magical sensation of being supported by a liquid foundation – no other disciple got out o f the boat.

There are so many of us missing out on life’s most exciting experiences and fulfilling feats because we have determined that the possibility of failure is too great. Isn’t that why there are so many ideas we’ve thought about trying, so many goals we’ve wished to reach, and so many accomplishments we’ve desired to achieve, yet we still have not gotten out of the boat? However, if we have any hopes of moving to greatness in our lives, then Robert Kennedy is worth listening to and Peter is worth imitation. We must be willing to risk failure in order to climb to life’s highest heights, and we must believe that God’s will never takes us where God’s grace can’t keep us.

Humbly in Christ’s Love,
Pastor B.A. Jackson