Faith Or Sink

Life has many pitfalls, but the trickiest is one we create ourselves.

Sitting in a boat, they watched the man standing on the shore. He stared at them as they wondered what he would do. Then a miracle happened. The man on the shore began to walk out onto the sea.

Not in it, but on it. As much as they believed in this man, it still had to shock them to witness any man walking on the sea. Even though they knew Him to be more than flesh and blood, they feared him as a ghost, an apparition. To make matters worse, the waves tossed the boat about due to the strong winds that raged around them.

He stood at a distance from them and said, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."

Could it be true? Was it their teacher? One of the men, to be sure, spoke out. "Lord, if it is really you, command me to come to you on the water."

The Lord simply replied, "Come."

The man did and, to his amazement, he too walked on water. He believed.

But then he noticed the waves around him, the wind. Soon he saw the dangers and his belief began to fade. As it did, he began to sink in fear. Water all around him, he had nowhere to go for safety. He realized that there was only one option. He shouted, "Lord, save me!"

The Lord immediately stretched out his hand and lifted him up. "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

Just like that, once safely holding the hand of Christ, he no longer sank. The waves settled and Christ directed him back to the boat.

At that moment, they witnessed his power and believed. So, too, each moment we find ourselves in need of faith to keep us from sinking, we can see his power, if only we believe.