Carol J German

As this cartoon depicts, we never know when life throws us punches which makes for rough sailing in our lives. Yet God beckons us out of the boat to walk with Him. “Trust me“. Trust me with your children. Trust me in your marriage. Trust me with your career. Trust me with your finances. Trust me with everything about you. Trust me. God’s offer is simple and profound. He knows what is best for us. Yet, we wait, doubt and finagle ways that suits us for the season that we are in. We stay in the boat of comfort and familiarity. Life is good, so we think, when our needs are met. So, we hold back from the potential that is within us. The treasure that God wants to exhume out of us is often laid buried when we choose to hold back from trusting Him.

Yes, fear is a big factor to staying in the boat. But I think the real reason lies in our possessions. We simply carry around too much stuff. We carry around mortgage payments, vacation funds, achievement awards, funded bank accounts and perhaps a calendar bursting at the seams with activities. How in the world will I be able to balance all these good things that I have worked for all my life and walk on the water with Jesus?

In Matthew 6:33, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” This is how we are to live life. We crossover from ‘life about me’ to life about Him. We look at Christ all day long. Because like the cartoon shows, we do not know what is coming down the road yet He does. We live life backwards. We go about our days like we earned them, deserve them, confidently thinking, “I will arise tomorrow and go about my life.” And God blesses us with good things. But this is backwards.

What if? What if we, even for one minute, stepped over the edge and trusted Jesus? Just for one minute. And in that minute, you got to experience freedom. Freedom from performing. Freedom from wondering if you are worthy. Freedom from inferiority. Freedom from not being enough. Freedom from failure. Freedom from having the need to always be achieving. Freedom from hiding and deep hunger. What if?

To discover, that in Him you don’t have to perform or question your worth. You find that you are capable and able. In Him, you are complete. To know who you are in Jesus starts a domino affect. Your life gets rearranged. He repositions you so your life has order. And this order brings harmony to your home, marriage, family and beyond. It is God’s order. So, will you trust Him?

God will not keep you walking on the water. He will get in the boat with you. Now, many of us struggle with this next part. We must let God steer. He needs to lead our assets, hobbies, jobs, vacations, tithes, and especially our calendars. All our stuff. We are to let Him prioritize what is in our life. We are to allow Him full access to purging what needs to be gone so we have room for important things. Things that He says is important. We tend to follow what the world deems crucial. And we know that isn’t good. Look at all the strife. We all suffer in broken, frazzled relationships, every one of us.

So, who is with me? Who is with me in trusting Jesus? To walk on water knowing that He has us and He will not leave us. Ever. Who is with me in allowing God to deepen our trust more and more so that we will know, without a shadow of a doubt, that when He rearranges our lives it will be for the better? And we will find joy and satisfaction.

I hope I got your attention with that last sentence. You will have joy and be satisfied in the things that God puts in your life. And better yet, He enhances things that are already a part of you. Your marriage will be one of unity and togetherness. Your current job will have purpose and meaning or He may lead you to something new so you can experience those things. You live within your means which opens up a plethora of options like being debt-free or saving up for a vacation. God opens up a whole new world. One which promises greater things where you can breathe and relax!

This Thursday starts Bible Study. You will find the study right here where we share how to live for God. WordPress doesn’t allow for two separate blogs on one site. Weekly, I will share how to live for God on Tuesdays and Bible Study will be Thursdays.

I hope and pray that the past few weeks have been encouraging and do I dare say, convicting? While uncomfortable at first, like jumping into boiling water, we all need to be challenged to change. Then God can begin His great work within us which leads to being united in love. Your action step: get out of your boat! You can thank me later 🙂