Matthew 14: 27-32

" But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid." Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But whne he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord save me!" Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him saying, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. "

God comes to us most profoundly in the time of our darkness. Unfortunately, in the midst of our suffering, we don't see the Lord when He is right in front of us. We are terrified of the storm and we cry out in fear. Christ calls to us and tells us to come to Him but the wind gets tougher, the waves get higher. In this, we take our eyes off Him and become distracted by the darkness and we begin to sink. We have to realize how much we need to be saved. Notice that when Peter realizes this and cries out to the Lord, Jesus immediately reaches out to save him. He doesn't hesitate one second. He is just waiting patiently for us to cry out to Him and ask Him to save us. It is only when we humble ourselves and make ourselves vulnerable to Him that He will pull us from the water. Then the wind will cease.

I have really been thinking about this passage ever since I got back to school because it really parallels my life right now. I need to realize how much I NEED to be saved. I have become so consumed and distracted by lies and darnkess that I have taken my eyes off Him. I am just so scared to let Him save me. Why? Oh me of little faith, why do I doubt? That is the real question. I have based faith too much on feelings. What makes me feel happy, what makes me feel good about myself. It is not about that. Faith is about knowing truth and knowing the Lord even at times when you don't feel His love or His presence. We cannot get discouraged by that. In the midst of our suffering, even when we have lost sight of Him, He is still there, especially in our suffering. I feel slightly hypocritical saying all this because I am really trying to tell myself this and believe it, but its hard. I know He is there, I just need to get passed the doubt and the fear and walk on the water too.

In the pursuit of happiness

My purpose for this blog is that I am in the pursuit of happiness. We all are, whether we think we are or not. I am not saying that through the creation of a blog I will find happiness, but rather in the way I am able to express myself to others. Maybe through this though we can all find happiness in each other. I will try not to vent too much, just say what is on my mind and clear my head for once. There are so many things jumbled in my brain right now that it is hard to stay focused on what I need to do every day. Hopefully this will help me to make sense of it all! There is just something satisfying about publishing a post and seeing it all come together on your screen. It gives a sense of purpose and accomplishment! As for now, pursue happiness. Make an effort to wave at a stranger, give a forgotten friend a call, clean up your messes, wash behind your ears, and always begin and end each day with a smile :)