“Then Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest’s slave.” John 18:10

“Peter exclaimed, “Rabbi, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials-one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” Mark 1:5

“So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink, “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.” Matthew 14:29-30

I LOVE Peter! Peter is all heart, little head and completely “all-in” for the moment without a thought about the future while he is a new believer walking with Christ. Peter is about right now and how he feels right now…he reacts instead of acts. Sometimes this is good because he walked on water! Sometimes this is not so good because he lopped off a guys ear! And sometimes he just wants to stay where he is and enjoy the moment. In all cases, Peter has heart and passion and I think he is great.

I identify with Peter more than any other person written about in scripture. I have a huge desire to do alot of things and my reacting to any given situation sometimes leads to me lopping off body parts and sometimes leads to be screaming, “Save me, Lord!” because I get terrified. Praise be to God that He loves me and even better…that He is in the process of molding me into a more steady person. Less pendulum swings…more center. Less reaction…more action. Less me…more Him.

God has me in several situations right now where if I had acted the way my instinct and emotion guided I would be in the world of apology and I dislike that world greatly. Don’t get me wrong, I have NO problem saying I did something wrong and seeking forgiveness. I don’t like doing it when the apology is the outcome of my outburst of emotion and reaction. God is showing me that reacting causes damage that can’t be fixed. The damage can be repaired but there is always a scar. I don’t want to scar anyone, I want to love people. I want to be calm and thoughtful in challenging situations. I want to ask myself the very important question, “How is God wanting me to handle this right now?” It’s a challenging and sometimes, quite honestly, tumultuous time in my head and heart right now because I feel the frustration of sinking as I’m walking on the water. Thank God, literally of course, that He is right there taking my hand and guiding me. I can see Jesus’ face, amazingly loving yet piercing eyes that see right to my heart, slight smile of “trust me” clearly seen, strong had wrapped around mine all together saying ,”I’ve got you. Don’t look down. Don’t get terrified. I’ve got you. Keep going.” And through that love I have the strength to keep growing and go deeper and act more intentionally instead react emotionally. Thank you Jesus!

Growth is always uncomfortable and sometimes painful. Growing pains don’t stop just because we’ve gotten as tall as our physical bodies are going to get, they keep going as long as our spirit is here in order to make us the person we are meant to be. The joy in the pain and discomfort is that it’s our sign that we are growing! Praise God when you feel the pain or ache! Praise Him that He’s moving in your life and giving you opportunity to trust Him more. If you need prayer, please email me at kaprayingforyou@gmail.com and I would love to lift you up.

Live in God’s love, grace, peace and mercy,

KA 😀