Yes, You Can.

This past week on Spaceship Wonder presented by our partner ministry- Kids First (watch it on YouTube at JFAKids First- Episode 3 Ordinary to Extraordinary), the whole episode focused around the fact that God has more for us. We are not meant to live an ordinary life, but rather do extraordinary things because Jesus is extraordinary! Truly, these are the words we want to seed and germinate in the souls of our children. God has created them for the extraordinary.

So now that I’ve used the word extraordinary more times than probably is narratively allowed, I want to shift the mindset over to us adults who tend to live more in reality than the miraculous.

We have seen the cruel world out there that stifles and hides the extraordinary that grows in our hearts. Dreams that seem childish in magnitude and expectation get buried deeper and deeper until we forget about them almost completely. Dreams are risky and dreams are out of the norm. ”I can’t do that because...insert logical, realistic excuse” seems wise and safe. Sure we can tell our kids that they can be everything God created them to be, but we tend to look at ourselves and feel that which God placed in our hearts is out of the question. Life gets in the way of dreams. Our duty and responsibility that we daily have prevents us from the pursuit of extraordinary beyond the little ones He has blessed us with. There are bills to pay. There are dishes to scrub. There is laundry...so much laundry...never stopping laundry.

But all of these are just excuses aren’t they? I would venture to say, and I may be wrong, that we are lacking trust and confidence in many cases to see our dreams become reality. We are searching for and need that word of affirmation that says “go for it! You can do this!” People and circumstances many times speak the opposite to our hearts. Often when we seek that affirmation and confirmation from the Lord, we still may feel unclear and let doubt and what we deem ”reality” to dictate our next steps.

Peter had this same dilemma on an old creaky fishing boat on a dark and stormy night. While some saw a ghost on the water, Peter’s heart leapt. And like all of us, he was seeking words of affirmation to take that leap that seemed impossible- “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come!” In true Jesus fashion, all He said was “come.” Not- you can do it or I have faith in you. He just simply said come.

The simplicity of that statement is powerful. He’s basically saying the opportunity is there in front of you. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere. But it’s up to you- it’s your choice. Peter jumped and experienced the miraculous for a moment. Can we say the same for ourselves? When we are faced with the choice, do we hold on to the safety of the boat or do we jump?

As my dad would always tell me, “if you want to walk on water, you’ve got to step out of the boat.” Jesus is going to love you regardless if you jump out or not. He will always be there if you don’t take the leap. But man, doesn’t taking that jump and shaky watery steps bring you that much closer to His heart?

So, guess what? Whatever God has put on your heart, do it. Jump. Take the leap. God is there...even though it may take you walking on a stormy sea to get to where He is.

Friends, yes, you can because God is within you. He is calling us into the extraordinary... and it lies on the other side of our leap.

I’m cheering you on.