BY: MEGAN GILMORE
“But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” Matthew 14:27-31
Our world has drastically changed over the past few weeks. I keep thinking it can’t get crazier...and then it does! I mean come on...toilet paper is gone! Toilet paper ya’ll! That is besides the point - our normal is no longer our normal. Kids are no longer in school. Working from home or not able to even work because of restrictions. Restaurants, entertainment, and stores closed.
When I went into a store and saw empty shelves I got a little creeped out because this is not my normal. Our normal has changed. We do not know for how long this will last but we take a deep breath and move forward.
I don’t know about you, but the changes that were drastically made in our society has had me a little anxious and overwhelmed. The shift had to happen quickly. Every time I heard more of the news and tracked what was happening the more worried I became. I noticed my thoughts beginning to spiral with negativity. These thoughts were not just related to the pandemic surrounding us with the Coronavirus; they started to seep into all areas of my life. I began to fall prey to lies instead of truth.
Worries, fears, and anxieties over things that were not in my control. These negative thoughts and lies began to spiral from situations with work, relationships, family, health, and so many more. It was overwhelming and I knew I was sinking. My world was feeling chaotic and out of my control.
God reminded me while having a conversation with a friend that He was here amidst the chaos of this world. He took me to the passage in scripture where Peter walks on water. However, this time I noticed something a little different. Starting in verse 29 Peter begins to fix his eyes on Jesus, he, “walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink.” This time as I was reading the passage my eyes fixate on where it tells us he started to look at the wind.
The wind is an external factor that Peter turned his gaze towards. The chaos began to become his focus instead of Jesus. We can be just like Peter fixing our eyes on external factors. In today’s world fixing our eyes also means fixing our minds. We are bombarded with news and external factors around us. What are we fixing our eyes on?
As I started to see this verse differently I began to realize I had been fixing my eyes on the external factors happening around me. How quickly I sank when I stopped fixing my mind on Jesus. Maybe you can relate to me with how quickly we sink when our eyes and mind are not directed at the one who calms the storm around us.
What is even more beautiful is Jesus’ response to Peter was immediate, “Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him.” He immediately rescued him! God promises us that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. That means that He will rescue us immediately when we call on His name!
Just like Peter I called out to Jesus who rescued my thoughts. He pulled me up into the safety of Him and reminded me that He is in control. I spent time writing out the truth He was speaking and began to fix my eyes and mind upon Him. My heart began to feel at peace, even when there is still chaos surrounding me.
My beautiful friend, I hope that this is a reminder that it is a quick downward spiral when we focus on the external wind factors in our lives. Fix your eyes, set your mind on Jesus. When we do this - there will be peace amongst the uncertainty of our world.