Peter Walks on Water

Tonight I realized that the story of Peter walking on the water feels a lot like the season I am in.

The storm and the wind represent the uncertainty, job stress, old wounds, questions, and everything that has felt overwhelming during the last couple of years. I don’t have to understand why every bit of the wind is there before I take another step.

A person's unexpected return for such a short time became a reminder. His smiles and little “heys” may simply have been friendly greetings from him, but in my heart they came to represent: “Remember.”

Remember our time at the shelter.

Remember those kids.

Remember how deeply I cared.

Remember the confidence I had.

Remember my calm, firm voice.

Remember the gifts God put in me.

Remember the dreams and parts of myself that life had caused me to lose sight of.

The shelter memories are part of that same reminder. They aren’t telling me to go backward or recreate my old life. They remind me that God has already used my gifts before and that everything I learned there can come forward with me.

The mission trip also helped me reconnect with peace and with God. Then his return, the shelter memories, my book, my current classroom, and my growing understanding of OT/OTA all started connecting. I began realizing that my Family and Community Science/Child Development degree and all my different experiences with children may not have been random detours after all.

He can be both a reminder and part of the wind. He is the reminder when I think, “Remember who you were and what mattered.” He becomes part of the wind when I start trying to figure out why he appeared, whether I will see him again, what he thinks, or what happens next. I can receive the reminder without chasing the wind.

The picture that finally made sense was:

He smiled and said, “Hey.”

My heart heard, “Remember.”

And through everything that followed, I began looking toward Jesus again.

Or even more simply:

His smile: “Remember our time.”

My memories: “I remember who I was there.”

Jesus: “Now come. Bring what you learned with you.”

I don’t have to know tonight exactly where my career will end up or understand every reason these things happened in the same year. The next step isn’t about running away from a difficult job. It’s about walking toward the kind of work where my gifts fit—helping children, life skills, OT/OTA-type thinking, or whatever God shows me next.

The message I want to carry with me is:

Remember.

Come.

Keep my eyes on Jesus.

Take the next step.

The wind doesn’t have to stop before I walk. I don’t have to understand the whole storm. I just don’t have to let the wind decide where I look.

Prayer:

Jesus, I don’t need to understand the whole storm. Help me recognize Your voice, remember what You’ve already taught me, keep my eyes on You, and have enough courage and confidence for the next step. Amen.