Peter & Walking on Water

Hi yellow readers 👋

TGIF 💃 💃 💃

I am so glad it’s the weekend and I am elated that I get to write to you this weekend.

I hope you are excited to read from me because I have a lot of “goodness” to share with you.

If you have not read the previous blog post, I urge you to do so. Dami poured her heart out to you and you shouldn’t snooze on that.

Having said that, this is a good time to grab your water and popcorn, relax and get into today’s “goodness”.

Now, have you ever been in a situation where you are doing something with so much confidence and excitement, then someone says to you, “oh, this isn’t so nice, you should change it to this or that”. At that moment every confidence you had prior, begins to crumble, and you start to doubt yourself or your ability to get that thing done?

Well, let me tell you a story.

I’ve always thought of myself as a fluent speaker who could at least do well on any platform I’m given (with the knowledge that I can always get better). Until one day, someone made jest of how I spoke and said that I talk with my tongue, which she finds irritating.

Instantly, my self-esteem spiraled and that made me struggle with speaking to anyone, much more, to a group of people.

You’re probably wondering how my question and story relate to Peter walking on water.

Well, one of the notable things about Peter’s story was his request.

Before Jesus, he hadn’t seen anyone walk on water, but unlike you & I, he was not afraid to try.

He didn’t give himself 1001 reasons he couldn’t walk on water. Instead, he saw Jesus walking on water and he was confident he could too, as long as Jesus did. So, he asked if he could, and Jesus told him to come.

Peter did walk on water, and I tried to imagine how he must have felt at that point. He probably felt on top of the world and was excited. But, the elation was short-lived when he saw a strong wind.

His confidence was replaced with fear, doubt took the forefront of his heart and he started to sink.

But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” — Matthew 14 vs 30 NIV

Dear Peter must have wished to see his family at that moment to give his parting words because he was in the middle of the sea and the chances of retrieving even his dead body were slim.

But Jesus wasn’t going to watch Peter drown so, He reached out to him and saved him.

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” — Matthew 14 vs 31 NIV

The profound thing Jesus said to Peter when He reached out to him was, “why did you doubt?”

Peter doubted because he saw the wind, mighty and disruptive, contrary to his smooth walk on water. Something so strong that it shook his faith, his confidence, and his belief. Something different from the excitement and confidence he set out with.

I like to think of the wind as:

the noise that distracts our focus,

people’s opinions that make us doubt our abilities & identity,

criticisms that instead of helping us get better, cripple our esteem or make us lose faith.

that thing that has made us shrink instead of blossom.

Like Jesus, my question to you is “why do you doubt? or “why did you doubt?”

When you are confronted with the wind, that’s not the time to lose faith.

You may have heard statements like “getting that job is hard”, “nobody has ever done what God has told you to do and your chance of success is zero” or “you can’t study that course because it’s tough”.

Whichever one you’ve heard, they are simply distractions and they’re just like the wind.

To continue to walk on water, you must see the wind like a dog without teeth. It is barking to scare you away, to overwhelm you with fear, but it cannot bite.

Now, can you relate Peter’s story to mine? I trust that you can, and you can relate it to yours as well.

My final words to you:

Please be aware that you are in a world where everyone wants to give their two cents. This means that you must base your life, focus, and worth on something far greater than people’s opinions or thoughts. Place it on something more concrete, so that when contradictions come, your WHY is stronger than the noise and your eyes see beyond the wavering sea.

Again, don’t lose faith as Peter did. Instead, be bold and courageous like Jesus.

I look forward to reading your “Peter walking on water” stories and your thoughts about this post in the comments or in our mailbox.

Do have a restful weekend.

Till the next time that I write to you, you have all my love.

Sike Bankz 💛