Water Walking

As I write these words I am all snuggled up in my hubby’s warm bathrobe listening to a storm come across campus. It is symbolic of this time in my life: the storm rages around me as I am walking on the water having answered Jesus’ call to ‘come’.

It never ceases to amaze me that every time I doubt my decision to leave my Ur and answer the call to ministry God whispers, “Why do you doubt?” just as lovingly as he did to Peter. He did this again today as I was walking around campus trying to stretch my tired body after sitting in classes for almost 7 hours today. As I came around toward the lake (the campus is on Lake Michigan) I was noticing how socked in with fog it was becoming. I began to think about a book my friend and I are teaching from this summer by John Ortberg, If You Want To Walk on Water You Have to Get Out of the Boat.

It hit me that the fear I’ve been experiencing the last few days was nothing compared to what the disciples must have felt in that boat on the Sea of Galilee. As I looked over the lake I could barely see anything for all the fog. I was putting myself in that boat with the disciples and asking God to help me to be brave enough to walk on the water. As I turned to head back to my dorm, what should I see but a statue of Peter getting out of that boat! I could hardly believe my eyes! There’s nothing like God turning up in the middle of a

storm and saying, “Ye of little faith, why do you doubt?”

Now that fog has turned into a full storm, with a tornado watch to boot, but I am resting in the knowledge that God is here with me. See, this journey is one I am making all on my own this week. No hubby walking right beside me reassuring me that everything will be just fine and I have everything it takes to succeed (though he did that amazingly over the phone). No friend sharing the adventure of my rolling into campus so late the security guard had to find an RA who checked me into a room that was already occupied so he had to find a RD so I could finally put my head down well after midnight my time. No sister with whom I can roll me eyes with when someone says how wonderful the food in the caf is and I am eating the same exact thing (french fries with cheese sauce since they don’t know the meaning of wheat free) at dinner as I did lunch. For the first time since my single days (which is almost 10 years ago!) I am making this journey just God and me.

Yep, I am out of the boat!