When I was 17 I had a crush on a guy at church. One beautiful Saturday afternoon a group of my friends wanted to go to Kiwanis Park in Tempe. When we got there they all decided the best option was to rent some boats and float on the lake.
Did I mention that due to some childhood trauma I am deathly afraid of the water?
Yeah, so, now what was I supposed to do? I really wanted to impress the guy, but at the same time, I was terrified at the thought of getting in that boat. When I mentioned my fear he told me not to worry, it would be okay, and that he would go really really slow.
So I believed him, and got into the boat.
We got out pretty far. I was packed in with four other people, clutching the sides of the canoe in white-knuckled fear, but I was doing a pretty good job at containing it. The two guys stopped paddling, then the one I liked managed to turn himself around in the boat to face me.
He smiled. Then jiggled the boat.
I asked him to stop. He grinned wider and jiggled harder. My voice rose and I asked him again to stop. The girl behind me heard my growing panic and told him to knock it off too. He didn’t. Instead, he laughed and began to rock the boat, hard.
I freaked out. Literally, I came unglued. I began to scream, to cry, to shriek. Tears and snot and body shaking, I did it all. It was embarrassing. It was humiliating. And that’s when the guy finally got the picture that he wasn’t dealing with a little baby fear, but a full-blown panic inducing terror fest.
When we got back to the shore my friend took me home, and the crush I had dried up as quickly as a puddle in the Arizona sun
Now, fast forward thirty years or so.
I am married to a wonderful man, a man who loves me, and we have a pretty good life together. One of our favorite things to do is to vacation in Maui. We’ve been there multiple times (it’s not as expensive as it seems). For a girl with a fear like mine, this can be a challenge.
But thankfully, over the last few decades of my life, God has been slowly working that fear out of me. It’s not gone yet, but it has become a bit more manageable. I can now take a boat cruise, as long as it’s a BIG boat, and I can get into the ocean as far as my knees and not have a panic attack.
But my husband is a fish. He swims far out, and sometimes deep, and he always asks me to swim out with him. I always say no…except for once a few years ago.
To both of our surprise, I told him yes. I don’t know why I did, but I had stipulations. My feet had to touch the bottom at all times, and the moment I said take me back to the shore he would have to take me back to the shore.
So he took my hands, I held on tightly, and we began to walk out into the water. Inch by inch he led me, and when I began to freak out he didn’t laugh, or pull me harder, he stopped and gently encouraged me. We did this over a dozen times, and every time, my husband pulled me back from the edge of my fear until finally I was standing nearly neck deep far, far out from shore!
Why did I tell you these stories?
When we are faced with our fears, or bad times pop up in our lives, or we feel pressured to go along with whatever the crowd is doing so that we fit in, it’s at that point that we are faced with a choice.
On one side is Satan. Just like the boat guy he will promise to take care of you. He will promise you safety, and peace, but only if you get into the boat. And once you have, and he’s got you far from shore, he will rock the boat and laugh as you scream.
On the other side is Jesus. Just like my husband, he has no gimmick. He offers no pressure, no coercion, He simply asks you to take His hands. And once you do, Jesus walks with you through the storms in life, and when the waves get too high, he whispers to you, “It’s going to be okay. Just keep your eyes on Me, and hold tight to My hands.”
It simply comes down to a choice. Who will you trust? Boat guy or Jesus? And while it can be hard to trust in anyone these days please trust me, whatever you do, don’t get into the boat.
God holds us in the palm of His hand… Psalm 30:4