Rockin' the Boat

Sheri Wohlfert contemplates the times when, like Peter, she's called to let go of the boat and trust God.

“O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31)

I love this story from Matthew’s Gospel. It’s full of little lessons! One thing that always makes me giggle a little is how much I’m like the apostles that stayed in the boat. Poor Peter gets scolded by Jesus for being of “little faith.” Truth is, I’d be one of the 11 still sitting in the boat never having the guts to get out and even try walking on water in the first place! Sometimes my boat is rockin' but I’m not brave enough to get out and be faithful!

I discovered three “boat rockers” in my life: my children’s future, the shrinking moral conscience of our culture and the economy and leadership of our country. Boy can I ever be an apostle glued to the boat seat when I think about these things! I need to leap out of the boat like Peter and take some steps toward Jesus. There are many things that rock our boat and test our faith, but the message is the same to us as it was to Peter: “Trust Me, keep your eyes on Me, have faith in Me, and I will guide and protect and love you!”

I can’t guarantee that my children will get their dream job with benefits and a generous salary any more than I can sweep into the US Senate or House and pray with them and get things all straightened out. (talk about being tossed into a stormy sea … yikes!) I wish I could do great big things that would restore common values like modesty, honesty, and respect for life—but the truth is, I’m only in charge of my little corner of the world. So what’s a sea-sick scaredy cat apostle to do? PRAY! TRUST! GET OUT OF THE BOAT SO JESUS CAN GRAB ON!

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If I look back on my own life, the troubles and difficult times are the ones that caused me to learn the most. Having jobs that were hard and yucky—and paid pennies—were the ones that made me strong and grateful. Wrestling with tough decisions about my future gave me great opportunities to pray and trust God’s will for my life. Why would I want my kids to have an easy go of it and miss those important lessons and opportunities to grow in faith and character? I think I’ll get out of that boat and just ask God to bless them and remind them daily to ask Him for direction and then pray like crazy that they listen and follow!

Click to tweet:
Pray! Trust! Get out of the boat so Jesus can grab on! #catholicmom

As for the boat rockin’, I have an idea of what to do when we despair over the state of affairs with our culture and our country, when our inboxes or Facebook newsfeeds are full of jokes, slogans, and stories about the woes of our world. What do you think would happen if, instead of forwarding or sharing them, we would instead stop and pray? Judging by the number of those types of posts I see each day, that could be a LOT of praying. I think the seas would calm and more folks would have the courage and the trust to get out of the boat and walk toward Jesus.

I think we underestimate the power of prayer, especially with issues we think are beyond us. I sometimes forget to pray for our leaders. I don’t remember often enough to pray for people who have lost their way and make decisions that draw people away from God rather than toward Him. Shame on me … guess I’d better write that down so I remember! I don’t know about you, but I think I’m ready to get out of the boat and test the waters!

A Seed to Plant

What’s rockin’ your boat? Make a list, and then stop today and pray for the courage to walk toward Jesus and hand Him your concern. While you’re praying, stop and say a prayer for our nation’s leaders and all those in positions of leadership and power.

Blessings on your day!

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