Water Walking in Red Provincial Print Pants

You are wondering what on earth red provincial print pants have to do with walking on water, I can tell.

In a nutshell, everything.

Okay, I’ll explain.

I was, as predicted, able to resurrect my truck, and I still had a tidy amount left over. Ooh, lovely. I had about fifteen minutes to feel quite smug and secure about this before the Lord gently brought to my attention someone who needed that tidy little sum more than I did.

And I noticed I suddenly became quite satisfied without those red pants! Isn’t the flexibility of our priorities amazing? What is a pair of pants, when set against a tiny security blanket? Even so, I can’t get them off my mind. Not because I want them, particularly, but because I made a “stupid” little comment in my diary about walking on water. And every time I open my diary, I see it.

Here’s how it works. Water, in case you haven’t noticed, is not a good walking surface. It’s unstable and undependable in the extreme, and we could add unpredictable to the list, as well. Every time you put a bit of weight on it, it vamooses, and you ker-splash right to the bottom. Very annoying, if you want to get anywhere quickly.

Jesus’ disciples were familiar with this aspect of water. So here they see this something, out on the water. Looks like Jesus, but, hmm, we know Jesus is a man just like us, so that can’t be him. But Peter’s lightening quick brain recalls seeing Jesus do a few other impossible things, and he concludes that if it’s really Jesus, then this water-walking thing should work not just for Jesus, but for Peter, as well, if Jesus calls him out of the boat. (This is the guy who woke up dead people, for goodness sake!)

And, oh, wow, it really does work.

But only one of Jesus’ twelve closest followers tried it. I wonder why?

Maybe because walking on water is a really stupid thing to try. Totally impractical, and, really, quite dangerous, especially in deep water. Even more so if you don’t know how to swim.

Except . . .

It isn’t, really. We only perceive it that way. We believe that the ground is solid, and water is not. It does not occur to us that the ground could open up and swallow us at any instant—which means that we aren’t safe on land, either.

There is only one safe, solid surface, and that is what we know as The Way. He may be on land, or on the water, or out in thin air. If we’re in him, it doesn’t matter.

Which is where the red pants come in. You see, if I was on land, I wouldn’t hesitate to make the purchase. It’s tempting to change my course, though, now. Merely because I’m on the water.

But it’s only the scenery that changes.

The way is ever the same.

So . . . at land’s end?

Walk on!

Thank you!

If this message has been forwarded to you, and you would like to be added to Charissa’s mailing list please send your request to info@charissaschalk.com. Thank you.