I imagine most of us are sitting inside the boat. It’s comfortable in here. We brought pillows for our backs and heads. Why get out of the boat? It’s cold and wet out there. Jesus invites each of us to get out of the boat. Peter did it, you know. You will find that story in the 14th chapter of Matthew. The wind was blowing hard and the disciples were afraid. When they saw Jesus walking on the water, they thought it was a ghost but he said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

Peter said, “Lord if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water.”

Jesus replied saying only one word, “Come.”

Peter got out of the boat and he did walk a couple of steps, but the wind scared him and he started to sink so he cried, “Lord, save me.”

Jesus came to him and said, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

It does take a lot of faith and courage to get out of the boat, but if we really decide to do it, we will find our lives will be different. gone will be our belief that we are just ordinary people, living out our lives, but people using the talents or abilities God has given you Have you dream of what you wanted to do? Do you agree with yourself and God that you have some talents and abilities that you are not using at all? Why not? Could it be that you are afraid of the wind?

Jesus has said he will never leave us nor forsake us. Do you believe that? If you do, even if your faith is weak, get out of the boat! Use the talents or abilities that God has given you. Sure, you will face some winds, even stormy winds, but you will begin to see success. You will be glad you got out of the boat.

I haven’t always gotten out of my boat, but I have sometimes. I remember the time when my first husband died. I was offered a job all the way out to Vancouver, Washington and here I was in Wisconsin with three children! I loved it here and I thought I could find a job here, but without using my abilities, which I knew was to teach the old and young the Bible and lead them in singing. So, I stepped out of my boat and came to Washington and took the job that I know God had prepared for me. Though I have had to face wind storms. I am happy I took that step.

You can too. If you do, you will know that God gave you the talents and abilities for a purpose, to use them. It is time for me to step out of the boat again today. I am 92 years of age but I am alive. My son keeps telling me to write a devotional book, but I am afraid. Possibly the storm is raging too high for an old woman. I think I will, with God’s help, step out of the boat. I hope you will too.

 

The trees have all of their leaves, the flowers have bloomed. Springtime is in the air and we are happy. or are we? I went outside this morning to sit at my table on the deck and found everything was covered with ugly, green stuff! I knew it was there, but I thought it would be easy to brush off. No way! The only way to get rid of that stuff is soap and hot water. Oh well, I’ll wait until another day.

I thought about that. Why did God send all that beauty of spring and then follow it up with that greenish, yellowish stuff? I know! It’s the same as the mountains and valleys in our lives. If God gives us only sunny days with no trouble at all, we would be happy all the time, and soon we would forget about Him. So He sends a few valleys and walks with us as we suffer through them, bringing us back on the mountaintop again.

I am going through one of those valleys right now. My health isn’t good. I haven’t even been to church for several weeks and that is very unusual for me. However, I feel God working in me and will soon bring me back on the mountaintop. My good friend, Harriet, has been in her valley a long time and tomorrow she will have surgery to get a new hip. I believe she will be on the mountaintop real soon.

I think we should thank Him for the mountain tops and thank Him for the valleys because He is at work in us through anything. But the pollen? Ugh, that stuff is something else!