This week I went rock climbing.

Here are a few of my observations:

• Rock climbing is for the long and light … a.k.a not me (but it was a blast!).
• Scaling a wall is essentially a perpetual pull-up.
• You either feel like a ninja, spider monkey, or fish out of water. I relate to the latter.
• It’s a bit like golf … apparently you’re not supposed to loudly cheer on your fellow climbers. Whoops.
• It builds trust. This seems like a “duh” because you’re responsible for making sure someone doesn’t plummet to the ground. I’ve decided it’s a great relationship building experience because of the teamwork it fosters. So dudes, take your ladies rock climbing. You’re welcome for the date night idea. 🙂
• If you’re not use to rock climbing, it’s a giant leap out of your comfort zone … and that’s a good thing.

I want to camp out a bit on that last bullet.

Let’s be honest, we stick to our comfort zones too often. We fear failure, so we shy away from trying new things … but there’s a world waiting to be explored and an incredibly good God who holds it together (Hebrews 1:3, Colossians 1:17).

When we confine ourselves to a specific arena, we miss out on adventure and opportunities to experience God in new, exhilarating ways.

I think Peter gets this about our Maker. That’s why he was eager to walk on water.

“‘Lord, if it’s you,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to you on the water.”Come,’ he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.” -Matthew 14:28-29

Getting out of the boat was a bold move on Peter’s end and Jesus honored his action by allowing him to walk across the waters … until Peter lost sight of his Savior.

“But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!”‘Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt?’” -Matthew 14:30-31

Peter failed the trust test in this moment, but Jesus still reached out in His abundant grace to save him from stormy waters.

Meanwhile, where the heck are the other disciples?! In the boat … watching … and missing out on the epic-ness of walking on water … lame. (Shout out to B. Yobo for this amazing point.)

Yes, Peter failed, but give the boy credit for trying.

I don’t know about you, but I take a lot of comfort in this story. It teaches me that we’re not meant to stay in the boat. We need to try something new, often … and sometimes it’ll end in failure.

That’s okay, too.

I need to be reminded of this daily. I’m not a fan of failure. As much as I want to be good at everything, I won’t be. But there’s grace in the trying.

When we fix our eyes on Jesus and courageously set out to try new things for His glory, His Hand is willing, able, and ready to reach out and save us.

So what will you do today to get out of the boat?

This journey with Jesus isn’t a spectator sport. Get out there and do something that’ll grow your trust in the One who commands the wind and the waves (Luke 8).