This morning, as I was reading through Luke, Jesus' interaction with Simon jumped right off the page at me:
So Jesus got into the boat that belonged to Simon and asked him to push off a little from the shore. ...he told Simon, "Take the boat into deep water, and lower your nets to catch some fish."...After the men had done this, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to tear. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. Their partners came and filled both boats until the boats nearly sank. When Simon Peter saw this, he knelt in front of Jesus and said, "Leave me, Lord! I'm a sinful person! ...Jesus told Simon, "Don't be afraid. From now on you will catch people instead of fish." (Luke 5:3-10)
What a beautiful metaphor this interaction is for the work He still does in us. When I surrendered my life to God's Sovereignty, His Holy Spirit got into my boat. He asked me to push off a little from the shore, challenging me in small ways at first. But it has been those moments He's taken my faith into deep waters that I've experienced the greatest victories <3 And, like Peter, these overwhelming experiences have brought me to my knees. I'm always amazed, but humbled that He would...that He could...use a disaster like me for anything important.
I always joke, "His power is made perfect in our weakness. And I am the weakest!" Yet, I really have no other explanation for why Jesus keeps thinking that this boat can handle deep waters!! Throughout the rest of Chapter 5, however, He's found touching (literally) the untouchable (v.12-16), freeing a paralyzed man bound physically and spiritually (v.17-26), openly dining and partnering with society's most sinful (v. 27-32), and calling the religious "elite" on their crap/crystallized thinking (vv. 33-39).
Jesus obviously likes for us to expect the unexpected. More story for His Glory ;)
I have spent much of our first months together in fear. God has performed MIGHTY miracles in your heart and ours, but frankly...it still completely freaks me out that He's called me to this. I've spent the last two weeks crying out for Him to leave me...to give up on this lost cause that is myself...but His MO is clearly rising to the occasion on behalf of all lost causes. He has. And He will continue to. In my life and in yours.
I pray, Sweet Girl, that you never feel that you're not enough to brave anything He has planned for you. Take it from your crazy, absent-minded, moody Mama...Jesus is plenty.
I love you <3
