Get Out of the Boat!

Hey there! Happy Wednesday!

Is anyone else feeling like their summer to-do list is longer than the summer they have left?

I mean, I’m looking ahead at my July calendar and seeing August will be here before I know it. And I know my mind will immediately shift to my back-to-school to-do list and all these unfinished summer projects will become…ahem…Christmas break projects (maybe).

Oh, well. It is what it is!

I love this phrase! In fact, it might be my favorite chapter title from my Bible study, There’s a Fly In My Tea! (affiliate link).

This summer I’m going through my study with some ladies in a Facebook group. It has been a great refresher to me (yes, I can still be convicted by my own writing ;-)) and so fun to interact with these ladies as we strive to grow in our walk with the Lord. 

We covered this chapter a couple of weeks ago, and I found myself once again thinking, “Get out of the boat!”

The phrase came from the passage of when Peter walks on water in Matthew 14:22-33. Instead of just focusing on how Peter began to sink when he took his eyes off of Jesus (which is a great lesson), the study includes a portion celebrating that “at least he got out of the boat!”

Getting out of the boat is being obedient to what God asks us to do. Maybe it is steps of simple obedience–spending time with Him in prayer and Bible study–or maybe it is something bigger. 

One of my bigger “getting out of the boat” moments was the writing of the Bible study which I share in the book. Another was when I decided to go back to school and become a teacher. Still another was when my husband and I wrestled with the idea of ministry and ultimately surrendered to do whatever God called us to do.

Sometimes we get this picture of ministry being something “official” and “huge.” But that is not always the case. It could be that God wants you to start a card ministry to encourage the ladies in your church. Or maybe He wants you to be faithful to visit shut-ins.  What about being a hostess and encouraging others in the church through food and fellowship?

Stepping out in obedience can sometimes be uncomfortable and a little frightening, but so worth it in the end!

Here’s  another quote from the chapter that I love:

So tell me…do you need to get out of the boat? 🙂