“Your faith is so small!” He said. “Why did you doubt Me?” Matthew 14:30-31

A Leap of Faith

God placed the seed in my heart a year before I was brave enough to say it out loud.

I’m not sure why I was so intimidated, except I thought people would think I was crazy. (I have this motto at home “Remember, as far as anyone knows we are a nice normal family”!  I have an image to uphold!)

Once I talked about it, the ball began rolling pretty quickly, and we had  jumped through all the hoops to foster adopt.  Within a few months we were standing on the edge of an idea becoming reality, and it was scary.

I could only think of one other time in my life I had been as scared as I was at that moment. Both times I knew this was the path God had placed me on, and yet the fear of the unknown was hard to overcome.  

It was a no turning back moment.  A leap of faith that would launch us into a new level of surrender and a spiritual journey of trust that would bring us closer to God. It’s what everyone WANTS if they can just get their feet to leave the ledge.  

Doubt but Don’t Delay

I often wonder how I can have such strong faith and such doubt at the same time.  It takes me back to scripture, where the father asks Jesus to heal his son.  

“But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” Mark 9:22-25

Laying down our own ideas of how things should turn out is not easy, even when we know God’s ways are better than ours.

Leaving your comfort zone

One of the most popular scriptures in the gospels is the story of the storm where Jesus walks to them on the water, and Peter joins him before beginning to sink.

Peter wasn’t perfect.  He made mistakes (like cutting of a soldier’s ear and denying he knew Jesus the night he was crucified), but he was also bold and brave.  He wanted to be where Jesus was, so much that it was worth the risk.  

Matt 14:27-31 tells us the disciples saw Jesus walking on water and were scared. 

But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

“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. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

Oh, how I want to be like that!  Peter experienced something no other disciple did, because he was willing to get out of the boat.

Once he was out, he got scared. AND Jesus was standing right next to him! We all have moments like that, it is how we respond to them that determines our growth.  

When Peter looked at the wind and waves, he began to doubt if Jesus was more powerful than the storm that surrounded him. 

James 1:6b tells us “People who doubt are like waves of the sea. The wind blows and tosses them around.” I have had my fair share of being tossed around.

He started paying attention to the waves and not Jesus, which lead to sinking, but you know what?  When he found himself in a place of fear, he cried out to Jesus..”Lord, save me”, and Jesus graciously did.  

God has big plans for us.  He wants to use us in mighty ways.  He wants to grow us and show others his love through us. By having faith enough to leave my comfort zone, God opened my eyes to his view of family. He helped me see redemption and how he orchestrates the impossible. Opportunities were given that could have been missed by “staying in the boat”.

It’s time to get out of the boat.  Leaving your comfort zone will bring you closer to God, because you will see him working. It is time to trust like you never have before.  To leap, pray, embrace, surrender, and grow in new ways. Don’t worry. If you struggle, you can call out to Jesus and he will be right there.