peace Archives - Being Me, Myself.

The Long Middle

By Ife J. Ibitayo

A Kickstarter launch is like the start of a new relationship. The hot rush of anticipation and trepidation flooded my system as I embarked on this exciting adventure. Everyone I know and even some people I don’t took notice as we blasted off.

But like all glittery new things, my Kickstarter too has grown a little old. A couple weeks in, the initial adrenal rush of backers has puttered out; the money has dried up; and I’m left with a gap to fill both temporally and financially. When this moment arrived, I knew I’d hit the Long Middle of my campaign.

The Kickstarter Stages of Grief

To continue with the relationship metaphor, the Long Middle can be like a very painful, very visible breakup. The world watches as you flail about, trying to salvage the sinking ship of your grandiose ideals of instant fame and fortune. (Well, as much fame and fortune as 500 fans and $5,000 dollars can get you.) You’ll tailspin through the stages of grief:

Denial—“There’s no way this will fail. God won’t let this fail. I won’t let this fail. No matter what, we’ll find a way to make this work.”

Anger—“How could this be happening to me? I did everything right! I don’t deserve this!”

Bargaining—“If only I’d spent more time on this, tried a little harder, done a little more, we wouldn’t be here.”

Depression—“We’re never going to make it. It’s all over.”

I’m pretty sure I’d already hit all these major notes by Day 2.

While this might sound a little premature, I think that we all spend most of our lives navigating this nebulous gray region that is the Long Middle. Life is not so much full of beginnings and endings as it is middles. Our new job, new spouse, and new child will all eventually become just our job, spouse, and child. The newness will fade, and we will have to grapple with the choices we’ve made that led to where we are today.

When the new inevitably grows old, we have a very important question to answer, will we thrash or will we trust?

Thrashing vs. Trusting

I, for one, have spent a lot of time thrashing. I think to myself, if I send out one more post or release one more TikTok video or email one more influencer, maybe that’ll unlock the key to reaching our funding goal. Many of my friends have been quick to correct me saying, “That’s not thrashing, that’s hustling. You got to do what you’ve got to do.” But when my project makes me have trouble falling asleep at night, and I find myself contemplating it as soon as I wake up in the morning, and I feel guilty stepping away from my computer during the day, I don’t think there’s a meaningful distinction between the two. It’s far less about what I do and far more about how I feel.

Conversely, trust is not a cessation of activity, but finding peace in the midst of it. In the words of an Old Testament prophet, “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit” (Jeremiah 17:7-8). Or to put it in the slightly more modern terms of the Philadelphia 76ers, “Trust the process.”

Conclusion

With less than two weeks left to go in our Kickstarter campaign, I’m still holding out hope that we can make our dream a reality. And I’m continuing to work toward that goal every day. But I’m trying to strive toward it from a place of faith over fear and by trusting rather than thrashing.

Let My People Ball Kickstarter Progress as of August 24th, 2023.

Our Kickstarter for the first issue of Let My People Ball is live from August 15th, 2023 to September 14th, 2023. If you’re as captured by the vision as we are, you can support us here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/let-my-people-ball-1/the-biballical-chronicles-let-my-people-ball-issue-1

Life is Too Short to Live Too Fast

By Ife J. Ibitayo

Life in any big city, from Los Angeles to New York City, will tend to be fast paced. There is so much to do and too much to be done. But the push to live faster will manifest in a distinct way for each of us.

The Hustle Mentality

The first manifestation is the hustle mentality: “I live to work.” I struggle with this mindset the most. And seeing the dozens of phone lines that exist for Workaholics Anonymous, I know I’m not alone.

I hustle because time always feels like it’s of the essence. Lazy Saturdays are wasted Saturdays. What am I doing with my life if I’m not striving toward my God-given dreams? If I’m not working on them, who is?

The Hustle Cure

When God places a vision on your heart, He is the one who is ultimately responsible for them, not you. And accepting this reality is the first step toward healing from the hustle mentality.

However, this is an especially bitter pill for me to swallow. As a child of immigrants, I was taught that hard work was the solution to every problem. Your grades are low? Work harder. Your quarterly performance reviews are bad? Work harder. You’re 30 and you’re not married yet? Work harder.

But God Himself sternly rebukes this mindset. “‘If you repented and patiently waited for Me, you would be delivered; if you calmly trusted in Me you would find strength, but you are unwilling’” (Isaiah 30:16). Waiting on God and resting in His promises are key to overcoming the need to hustle.

The Hangover Mentality

At the other extreme is the hangover mentality: “I live to party.” At business school, you might imagine how common this mindset is. Party, crash, repeat, and the cycle continues until the funds run dry or the consequences come calling.

At the heart of this mindset lies a fear of the future. With greater responsibility and less freedom lying ahead, when else will we get a chance to kickback like we’re doing now?

The Hangover Cure

Ironically, the cure to this problem is actually the same as the cure to the hustle mindset: waiting on God and resting in His promises. Overindulgence arises from a scarcity mindset. “If I don’t indulge now, I may never again have the chance to.” And there is some truth in that. There are very few forty-years-old I know who spend their Saturday nights at epic ragers. And even fewer geriatrics who can bust a move at the club. But there is life after youth. Older age brings joys that younger years cannot: legacy, perspective, and family. If we pace ourselves now and plan our futures well, we can make the most of our current enjoyment and still be around to reminisce about it later.

Conclusion

In the book of Ecclesiastes, the wise King Solomon says, “It is good to grasp the one and not let the other slip from your hand. For he who fears God will avoid all extremes” (Ecclesiastes 7:18). As human beings, we tend to the extreme. Our compass will direct us to work too hard or play too hard because we’re trying to live life too fast. But we need to know when to slow down, so that we can make the most of our short lives here on earth.

“‘Stop striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted on the earth.'”

(Psalm 46:10)

Taking Time Too Seriously (Taking Myself Too Seriously Again Pt. 1)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

Last week’s summer orientation flew by. Most days were jam-packed with at least eight hours of programming. And when evening rolled around, there were countless places to swing by: a multitude of bars, a jazz concert, and even a chicken and beer festival. But I did not go to any of them. Even this past Saturday, one of the most stressful aspects of my morning was deciding whether or not I’d go with friends to a farmer’s market on Sunday!

No Time

I’ve only been in Los Angeles for a couple weeks. And I have a seemingly endless list of important tasks I still need to finish: registering my car, setting up appointments and phone calls, even sorting out a mistaken parking ticket I received. And as the perennial busy beaver, it’s very hard for me to relax when work remains to be done.

No One

But in the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon makes an invaluable point with this allegory, “There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. ‘For whom am I toiling,’ he asked, ‘and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?’ This too is meaningless—a miserable business! Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).

A truth I will continually have to remind myself during my time here (and throughout the rest of my life) is that relationships are the end for which all hard work should point. There will always be more tasks and more assignments. So if I don’t learn how to socialize now, I might just find that when I finally have the time to, I won’t have anyone to socialize with!

Conclusion

Toward the end of the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon goes on to say, “Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do” (Ecclesiastes 9:7). When we do choose to eat or drink, God approves of our enjoyment. So we should never let the business of life keep us from enjoying life itself.

“So I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun.”

(Ecclesiastes 8:15)

Falling Apart or Holding Together (The Terrifying Trio Pt. 3)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

For Part 1, “Doubt”, click here. For Part 2, “All Eyes On You”, click here.

These past several weeks have been crazy hectic. I’ve been meeting current friends to say goodbye, calling new acquaintances to say hello, and finalizing my moving plans. Just as my doctor mentioned that I need to find ways to relieve stress, I’ve been stockpiling it in heaps! I’ve found that coordinating a move across the country to a home I haven’t even found yet has been exceptionally challenging. And the metastasizing number of unknowns is triggering subliminal warning bells throughout my system.

Falling Apart

In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus poses a key question, “Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your life” (Matthew 6:27)?” We all know the answer to this rhetorical question, so why do we still worry?

My worry is a reflexive, visceral response. If I can’t actively manage a situation, the least I can do is focus my mental energies on it. I treat the problem like a Rubik’s cube my head. If I tweak this here and rotate that over there, maybe a solution will finally crystallize. But the Greek word merimnao means to be “divided into parts, to be distracted.” But we are terrible multitaskers. When we exert all of our mental energy on our worries, we can’t focus on what God wants us to.

Jesus goes on in Matthew chapter 6 to say we are to “seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33a).” And speaking about this kingdom, Paul says that the kingdom of God is about “righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 4:17). So we should be focused on loving others by living righteously and loving ourselves by finding peace and joy in God.

Holding Together

That probably sounds like a pat answer only sufficient for a church retreat. But when the rubber of life hits the potholed road of student loans, angry bosses, and rebellious children, you may wonder how practical that really is. If you don’t spend all your time not worrying about these distressing issues, who will?

Matthew 6:33 in its entirety says, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” God feeds the birds of the air and clothes the lilies of the field. God cares for everything on this planet and most of all for us. Just as children trust their parents and don’t shoulder the same worries they do, neither should we. Our heavenly Father was built to carry the weight of the world on His shoulders because He made it in the first place!

Rather, we’re called to trust Him, even if we don’t know where we’re going to sleep next month. Because God holds the universe together by the strength of His mighty power (Colossians 1:17), we can certainly trust Him to hold our lives together too.

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

(1 Peter 5:7)

Where I Am

By Ife J. Ibitayo

When I approached my laptop to start this article, I had no idea what I’d write about. I spent some time scrolling back through the articles I’ve written over the past several months, and I was surprised to see just how many of them were written in the spur of the moment. For some writers, this may be fairly normal, but it isn’t for me.

Where I Came From

When I first started this blog a little over two years ago, I was struggling with crippling anxiety. The only thing that calmed my fears was clarity. Knowing what tomorrow held was the answer to my fears today.

That terrible fear of the unknown seeped into every inch of my life: what work I’d finish on the job tomorrow, where I’d be going this coming weekend, and even what article I’d be writing next week. If any space in my life became even slightly murky, panic would surge up like a roaring wave and threaten to drown my peace of mind.

Where I Was Going

But slowly something began to change. Week after week, month after month, fresh idea or no idea, I’d approach this computer screen, and I was forced to trust that God had a plan and a purpose for my fingers that morning. And every day I’d walk away with something I could stamp my seal of approval on. My writings will never be engraved in the annals of man as the greatest blog posts in history. But they have been an authentic and raw exploration of the traumas of my past, my struggles in the present, and my fears for the future.

I still remember when God first laid this blog on my heart. A month had passed since we’d received the decree that “thou shalt work from home indefinitely.” I had more time on my hands than I’d had in years. I spent many hours thinking through my pain, frustration, and grief, and I knew that the only path forward was to write my thoughts down. But then I felt led to publish my diary before the eyes of the world, to place my private musings where everyone else could read them. And I was petrified. But God ministered to my heart that the healing He was devising for me was not just for me. There would be many hurting people who’d read my words and receive the same grace I needed.

Where I Am

Through this blog I’ve learned so much about my own brokenness: my insecurity, my need for affirmation, my predisposition to please people. But I’ve also seen the faithful hand of my heavenly Father through the years. I survived undergrad and grad school, my first job and my first pandemic, true love and genuine heartbreak. I enjoy life at a deeper level now than I could while trapped in the labyrinth of my unprocessed emotions. And I know a key part of that has been untangling my thoughts before all of you who’ve read my words over the years.

When next week comes, I again might have no idea what I’m going to write about. I might not know what work holds for me tomorrow or what God has planned for my future. But I’ve come to trust—just a little better—that God is penning a story that I can’t wait to read in my life and surely in yours as well.

“Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, He will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes. Your own ears will hear Him. Right behind you a voice will say, ‘This is the way you should go,’ whether to the right or to the left.”

(Isaiah 30:20-21)

Blessed Singleness

By Ife J. Ibitayo

We all tend to neglect the benefits of the season of life we’re in. When I was completing my bachelor’s degree, the end of the rainbow was the beginning of my master’s degree. Then it became the beginning of my working career. Now it’s retirement. Similarly, most of us don’t appreciate the benefits of the relational season of life God has placed us in. Every single single person I know is pining after their wedding day. All married people are waiting for children. Then as soon as these little, nutty creatures are born, they want to be empty nesters and grandparents.

An intriguing article I read called “Is Anticipation Even Better Than the Real Thing?” said, “The pleasure derived from anticipating something enjoyable is often equal to or greater than the pleasure derived from the event itself. This is because we’re inventing and idealizing the future.”

When we anticipate the future, we think our future wife will be the implacable Carol Brady, the perceptive Claire Huxtable, and the vivacious Vivian Banks all rolled into one. But when she loses her temper or burns the cookies (again) or zonks out at 9 o’ clock for the tenth day in a row, we suddenly realize our earth angel is all too human. Conversely, we minimize the benefits of our current season and magnify its drawbacks.

Time

One of the most important benefits of singleness is time, which meaningful relationships tend to gobble up. It takes time to call my friends each week and drive to my cousin’s each month and fly home to my family each year. I perpetually find myself in need of more time, not less. The extra free time I have allows me to take long prayer walks in my neighborhood. It has encouraged me to open my home to young adults on Thursday nights and serve in a variety of capacities at my church. And it has given me a chance to plug away at my many writing projects: including this blog you’re reading right now.

Flexibility

Secondly, singleness grants me flexibility that married people don’t have. I once called up a friend of mine who’d checked into an alcohol recovery program in southern Virginia. I offered to drive down to see him that same night, and though he turned me down, I realized later that these are the kinds of offers only singles can make (in good conscience).

Conclusion

Someone once said, “singleness is the gift everyone’s looking to regift.” I admit, I wrestle with this idea daily. Almost by the hour I find myself silently praying for God to send me my special someone. But I’ve slowly come to appreciate the unique privileges of singleness. We regret the opportunities that we let pass us by. So I’m trying to wring out every drop of this blessed season of my life until the next one comes.

“Godliness with contentment is great gain.”

(1 Timothy 6:6)

Standing Above the Lovelorn Sea

By Ife J. Ibitayo

If winter is the season I hate the most, February is its worst month. January at least has New Year’s Day, and I still bask in warm reminiscence of March’s spring break. But the month of February has no holidays, well any worth celebrating when you’re single.

Fresh flowers, cuddly bears, and red hearts assail me at grocery stores. Affectionate couples shame me at dine-in restaurants and movie theatres. Twenty-eight days mock me with a singular reminder: “You’re all alone, buddy.”

This pain is especially personal to me because I was ready to be married by the time I turned fifteen. Yep, by then I’d already hung up my cap, kissed my bachelor glory days goodbye, and poised my pen to write a new chapter in my story. Fast forward a decade later and that page has remained (astonishingly) blank. Being a romantic at heart, I embraced several of our culture’s fallacies about love.

You’re Nobody Until Somebody Loves You

The first lie I believe was best sung by the venerable Dean Martin: “You’re nobody ‘til somebody loves you.” I wanted to be somebody! I took growing up in a loving family for granted. My parents and my brothers have to love me. I wanted someone who didn’t have to have me in their life, but of all the men on the face of this planet, they chose me alone forever.

You’re Half a Person Until You Meet Your Other Half

The second lie I accepted was that you’re incomplete until you meet your other half. I felt this “truth” viscerally, like a hole in my soul that could only be filled by the right woman. She’d alleviate my insecurities, heal my scars, and secure my destiny. Therapist Esther Perel said it well, “We come to one person, and we are asking them to give us what an entire village used to provide. Give me belonging, give me identity, give me continuity, but give me transcendence and mystery and all in one.” In short, she’d be my salvation.

Your Somebody/Your Other Half

As outsized as this expectation may sound, I actually don’t think it’s wrong. It just took me the better part of a decade to realize that it was misplaced. Appropriating a well-known quote from C.S. Lewis, “If we find ourselves with a desire that no being in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another being.” And that being is the one who made us: God.

Through the overwhelming pain and triumphant victories I’ve experienced in life, I’ve learned that God is my best friend, my confidant, and my lover. Someone did choose me alone forever for a loving relationship. Ephesians 1:4 says, “Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes.” And my relationship with Him has given me belonging, identity, and continuity. For 1 John 3:1 says, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” God is my transcendence and my mystery all in one!

Conclusion

My relationship with God has not weakened my desire to find my soulmate. Rather, it has provided a safe harbor to continue looking from. Until I find her, I know I stand high above the lovelorn seas. I rest in the arms of my heavenly Father until He sweeps me up in the triune bliss of romantic love.

“The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”

(Jeremiah 31:3)

A Tale of Two Years

By Ife. J. Ibitayo

I’ve been replaying the highlights of 2021 in my head a lot. Like a CD on repeat, I first think:

2021 was a terrible year. It started with horrific loneliness. For months I didn’t see any of my friends or family members. I would often call up my mom because “I just needed to talk.” Then followed the most stressful months of work I’ve ever had on the job. I shouldered a workload that would have been reserved for a whole team if I were working at a larger company. Then spring gave way to a summer of crushing rejection. I was rejected romantically and disappointed professionally. Then my year wrapped up with someone in my family being diagnosed with cancer and an SUV nearly running me over.

Another Year

But then I hit the pause button and flip over to the B-side of my memories, and I start the recording over again:

2021 was a tremendous year! It was a year of firsts: my first publication, my first date, and my first raise. From when I got vaccinated in last April, the world popped with technicolor and neon light. I was finally able to return to church, eating out, and hanging out. It was a year of healing. The high blood pressure I was diagnosed with in late 2020 vanished by early 2021 for no apparent reason. The anxiety and stress I’ve struggled with for the past several years dissipated as the LORD filled me with His peace. A family member of mine recovered miraculously from an invasive surgery. And God protected me from a speeding SUV that decided it liked the sidewalk better than the highway!

Which version of 2021 is reality? Was it a terrible year with glimpses of the tremendous or a tremendous year with flashes of the terrible?

Conclusion

CNN’s 2021 “Year in Pictures” captures a glimpse of the global lows and highs of these past twelve months. 2021 was the year of Delta and Omicron, capitol rioting, and the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse, but it was also the year of record high vaccinations, the completion of the 2020 Summer Olympics, and the conviction of Ahmaud Arbery’s murderers. It was a year of tears for everyone, both of sorrow and of joy.

When I look back on 2021, I don’t think I’ll ever recollect it fondly. Yet I know it was profoundly important. I’ve seen myself from new vantage points that I didn’t have the perspective for last year. These trials have exercised my soul in ways my pleasant childhood never could have. And I’ve seen a similar pattern among my friends and family members as well.

New leaders have stepped up in church and the community. A complacent generation has been roused to its feet by being forced to its knees. And an unrelenting virus has breathed new life into spiritual realities by taking our breath away.

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them. For God knew His people in advance, and He chose them to become like His Son, so that His Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

(Romans 8:28-29)

Rest, Relationships, and the Altar of Busyness

By Ife J. Ibitayo

It’s downright amazing how much time Jesus spent hanging out with people. Many of Jesus’ best teachings took place on comfy dining couches with 1^st century AD comfort food. He was a man on a mission, relentlessly marching toward the cross. Yet somehow, He found an abundance of time to sit down and chat with others along the way.

For the past couple months, I’ve also been seized by a mission. I’ve been plugging away at work each day and typing up a storm each night. I’ve been cramming ministry into the free spaces and filling up every last crevice with errands and unanswered emails. It would be an understatement to say that I’ve felt a little busy. But I’ve come to see unique dangers in my present situation.

Importance of Rest

The first danger of busyness is that it often comes at the expense of rest. As we go to bed later, wake up earlier, cut our lunch breaks shorter, and extend our workdays longer, we squeeze out the Sabbath rest God offers us.

I’d contend that the fourth commandment may very well be the most despised of them all. In university, we applaud the students who sustain themselves on a well-balanced diet of coffee and Adderall, cramming in hour after hour studying for their examinations. On the job, we reward our employees who forgo vacations, sick days, and holidays to finish one more task. This disease has even infected the church! We praise pastors who are perpetually stretched thin, caring beyond their capacity, serving beyond their ability.

But consider that God rested on the Sabbath (Genesis 2:2), even though He didn’t need it. Then He blessed the Sabbath (Genesis 2:3a). Then He declared it holy—set apart, special (Genesis 2:3b). And throughout the Old Testament, God continually rebuked His people specifically for not keeping the Sabbath (Isaiah 58:13, Ezekiel 20:12-13, Nehemiah 13:15-18). Clearly rest is an extremely important concept to God, and people who are perpetually busy will struggle to find time to rest.

Importance of Relationships

Secondly, busy people will find it challenging to enter into deep relationship with others, especially God. Many people are familiar with the story of Mary and Martha. The God man in the flesh had come over for dinner. But the sisters’ attitudes toward Him were polar opposites. The NIRV says, “Mary sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said. But Martha was busy with all the things that had to be done” (Luke 10:39-40).

I really like this translation because it captures well the tension of Martha’s situation. There were many important things that “had to be done”: cooking, cleaning, serving. Often times when we read this passage, we can dismiss the meaningfulness of Martha’s tasks, but they were quite important. If no one cooked, no one ate. Imagine letting God go hungry! But there was “one thing” more important than serving God, and that was listening to Him (Luke 10:41-42).

Take a look at Matthew 7:21-23, and you’ll see a similar story. There are many who will serve God mightily—prophesying in His name, casting out demons, healing diseases, and working miracles, but Jesus will turn them away at the gate to heaven. Why? Because they were too busy “serving” Him to get to know Him.

The Altar of Busyness

God created us to work. Genesis 2:15 says, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” And God didn’t just create us to work, He created us to work hard (Ecclesiastes 9:10) and to work excellently (Colossians 3:23). But we must not sacrifice rest or our relationships on the altar of busyness.

“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.'”

(Matthew 11:28-30)

Strolling Through the Storm

By Ife J. Ibitayo

Have you ever wondered why Jesus walked on water? He could have sailed over the Sea of Galilee with His disciples when they left (Matthew 14:22). Or He could have teleported like Philip did, taking the Divine Express to His next destination (Acts 8:39-40). Why did Jesus break the rules of physics to commit such a miracle? And why did He allow Peter to join Him, walking on the waves like steppingstones ((Matthew 14:29)?

On Top of It All

If you’re like me, this pandemic has pushed you to your limit. You’ve been asked to do the impossible for the past year and a half: Watching your kids while wrapping up work on your computer screen, waiting “just one more month” before life can return to normal, finding joy in the middle of a pandemic, and loving others from the midst of isolation. Many days I find myself barely treading water, let alone walking on it!

This experience brought me back to Jesus’ miracle. Keep in mind that this water was not a placid, peaceful surface like you might see in a suburban swimming pool. Gale force winds blasted back and forth. Monster waves heaved the disciples’ boat up and down like a wooden boy toy. But in the midst of this chaos, Jesus was walking.

A better way to translate the Greek word peripateo in this context was that Jesus was “strolling.” He was strolling through the storm. In this way, Jesus demonstrated His mastery over all of life’s circumstances. Whether it be earth, sea, or air, nothing could stop Jesus’ steady, unhurried progress.

The book of Acts is the story of the steady, unhurried progress of the gospel throughout the ancient world. The entire Bible is the story of Jesus’ steady, unhurried progress restoring the entire universe. And your life is the story of Jesus’ steady, unhurried progress transforming you into the person He designed you to be.

Under the Waves

Which brings me to Peter. By asking Jesus to allow him to walk on the waves (Matthew 14:28), Peter was asking Jesus to grant him His perspective. Where everyone else saw a storm to sink into, Jesus saw a surface to stroll on. That is why Jesus didn’t tell him, “Stay back.” Rather, He commanded Peter, “Come here” (Matthew 14:29). He wanted Peter to experience the serenity of His grace, the greatness of His power, and the glory of His provision in the midst of the storm.

But Peter didn’t remain on top of the water for long. He saw the wind and heard the crashing waves. As fear clutched his heart, he plunged beneath the surface (Matthew 14:30). But that was not the end of Peter’s story. He screamed for Jesus to save him, and Jesus didn’t wait for him to “raise his faith.” He grabbed onto Peter and didn’t let him go. He rescued him out of his watery grave and set his feet back on solid ground.

Conclusion

Jesus extends His arms to us as well. He says, “Come, stroll on the sea with Me.” And if we ever start to sink into the waves, He’ll too ask us, “Why did you doubt” (Matthew 14:31)? Because our safety is never in doubt; He’ll always catch us.

“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.”

(Isaiah 43:2)