Tuesdays with Tabitha: Distractions

Tuesdays with Tabitha 

  "And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"
Matthew 14:29-31 (KJV)

Even with Jesus directly in front of Peter, he still looked away. And that distraction-the simple release of eye contact-changed everything.

The disciples thought He was a ghost at first, and were terrified as they watched the shadowy figure walking across the waves as effortlessly as if they were rolling hills of grass. And even as Jesus released words of comfort to them, telling them not to be afraid, they still doubted; full of fear as their tiny boat tossed recklessly on the choppy water.

But not Peter. Consumed by a sudden burst of adrenaline, he eagerly asked for Jesus to prove it was really Him, allowing him to defy gravity and walk across the glassy sea. And Jesus said, “Come.”

Excited and petrified at the same time, Peter jumped right in and began the otherwise impossible walk across the water of the ocean, focused steadily on Jesus just ahead. He must have felt so incredibly free, placing one foot in front of the other, weightless, fearless, and full of faith, looking directly into the eyes of God’s Son while accomplishing the unthinkable.

Then suddenly, right in the middle of a miracle, Peter’s eyes fell off of Jesus and darted nervously at his surroundings. He was caught off guard by the rushing wind, the enormous swells of waves, and the fact that it was anything but natural for him to be doing what he was doing at that very moment.

The fear gripped him as gravity took over and he began to sink deeper into the dark, cold water. He was drowning, but he knew better than to try to swim. Acknowledging there was only one way he would survive, he cried out to Jesus, and immediately he was lifted safely out of the water and walked gently back to the ship, no doubt completely embarrassed as Jesus comforted him and questioned his lack of faith.

Peter and I, we would have been great friends.  I don't want the Lord to have to ask me where my faith is. I want to keep my eyes locked onto His, so engulfed in His magnificent presence that nothing in this life can distract me. I want to walk on the water-straight to Him-and never miss a beat.  Pure, unblemished, child like faith.

But this world is full of distractions. And just like Peter, I often start out brave. I jump in head first, full of faith and a plan, ready to walk on the water straight to Jesus. But then my eyes leave His for just a split second, and the fear creeps back in. I'm always distracted, so easily swallowed up by doubt and suddenly I'm drowning, sinking fast into a sea of distress and worry.

But unlike Peter, I often try to swim back to the boat myself, instead of reaching for Jesus.

That’s where Peter had it right. He knew better than to swim, he knew his only chance of survival rested in Jesus. Although his eyes had fallen off of the Lord, he still had enough sense to cry out to Him, knowing that He was right in front of him and more effective than a life raft ever could be. And just as he suspected, Jesus immediately pulled him up.

Immediately.

Jesus didn't hesitate, leaving Peter to tread water in a panic while He questioned his faith, making him suffer just a little to learn his lesson. Instead, He grabbed his hand and pulled him to safety the very second that His name escaped Peters lips, leading him back to the boat and ceasing the wind all in one swift, powerful move.

I always wonder what would have happened to Peter had he not taken his eyes off Jesus. Can you imagine? To have walked across the ocean, directly into the arms of Jesus? What an incredible story that would have been! But the Lord knew that we needed to read the imperfect version, the one where Peter failed. So that we could know that even when life throws distractions at us-and in our moments of weakness we give into them-there is still hope.

Just as Jesus was right in front of Peter that night, He’s always right in front of us. In Hebrews 13:15 He tells us He'll never leave us or forsake us-ever-and we can rest assured that His promises are true. The wind will roar and the enemy will heave troubles directly at us in attempt to tear our eyes away from Jesus. But instead of treading water and trying desperately not to drown-or worse; swimming back to the boat by ourselves-all we have to do is cry out to Jesus, and He’ll meet us there.
Wherever we are.

In what ways are you similar to Peter? In what ways are you different?
What distractions does the enemy throw at you in attempt to keep your eyes off Jesus?
How could you be better prepared to fight these distractions?