When Peter saw Jesus standing on the water, his first inclination was to imitate Him. After all, because he was a disciple of the Rabbi, he knew He was supposed to be able to do anything that He did. Therefore, when His Master told the zealous disciple to come to Him, he readily jumped up and started walking. However, when he took a moment to think about what he was attempting to do, doubts assailed him and he sank. And while many condemn him for not keeping his eyes fixed on Jesus, to me, the incredible thing is that he actually got out of the boat. Though eleven others stayed behind, he had enough faith to take action, and despite not making it all the way to Jesus, he was made stronger for trying. You see, despite our culture’s reluctance to admit it, failure is just as much a part of victory as is achieving our desired outcome. Yet because we’re afraid to not be perfect, we forget that we may have to fall down a hundred times before we succeed even once. Nevertheless, our Lord doesn’t call us to move through life safe and protected — He beckons us to go beyond where we are today so we can become more like Him tomorrow. When we willingly lose our life for His sake, that’s when we truly gain it.

My friend, your satisfaction and success depend upon your readiness to take risks to get to where God’s called you to be. Though it’s tempting (and frequently lauded by society) to live a safe life, I encourage you to cling to the truth of Scripture, step out on the water, and lay it all on the line to achieve big things for His Kingdom. You’ll never know how much you’re capable of until you try, so listen to His Spirit’s still small voice, follow the dream He’s planted in your heart, and let Him move mountains through your trust in His strength and sufficiency!