When Your Feet Begin to Sink- Look Up

Hey friends. I know it has been a while since I’ve posted. A lot has been going on and I’ve been working extra hard on a few different avenues in life to help build and encourage others. This time of my life has been very… transitional. I had to sit and watch as one of my family members transitioned from this life to her eternal one, I am in the process of transitioning my career into what is currently the unknown, and- I have been transitioning my faith from one that was all talk and little action into something that I work on taking a step closer to God’s call on my life every single day. Some days that step is an inch, some days it’s a foot. I have been doing so much in growth lately that often, exhaustion hits me like a ton of bricks when I finally let myself sit in my feelings.

I am someone who LOVES to help others and with that comes putting others peoples needs in front of my own 98% of the time. When I can be helping someone else, it is often the catalyst I need to keep going in my own journey. My pain/exhaustion/fear comes at the times in the day when others don’t need me: often in the early morning or later evening. When I have time to sit alone with myself, that’s when the fears of everything start to pile on.

Recently, I led a book club with a wonderful group of women over conquering your fears and not letting your emotions control God’s call on your life (if you haven’t read Fear Is Not the Boss of You by Jennifer Allwood, you should. She gives some pretty great advice and perspective). In that book club, I learned a lot about who I am and why I self-sabotage when I start to gain momentum towards my own success. I am so used to helping others and seeing their potential that I don’t ever let myself have enough energy to believe in myself or see my own potential.

A lot of this season in life has been revolving around picking myself back up when I get knocked down. It has included showing myself that I am stronger than any weapon formed against me when I am walking this journey with Jesus. When I was writing the discussion post for the book club a few weeks ago, I thought of the story of when Jesus was walking on the water. More specifically, when He called Peter out on the water.

²⁸ Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”

²⁹ “Yes, come,” Jesus said.

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

³¹ Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”

Matthew 14; 28-31 NLT

You see, there are some things that pop into my head about what Peter was thinking. First off, I really don’t know if Peter expected Jesus to agree to have Peter walk on water. Or at least, I wouldn’t have. I totally think Peter was trying to catch Jesus somehow and then when Jesus told him to come, he was shocked. I also can totally picture Peter in my head, walking on the water and his eyes getting REALLY wide, in somewhat disbelief. The part that I do love, is that when Peter began to sink, his first instinct was to cry out for Jesus. He knew Jesus was the only one that would be able to save him at that point.

What isn’t lost on me though, is that Peter took his eyes off Jesus to see how badly the winds were whirling and the storm was getting and that is when he started to sink. It’s the same way in our situations of life friends. When we take our eyes off Jesus and start to see the world for all of the terror and chaos that it holds, we forget the miracles that Jesus is capable of making happen and we start to sink into our humanity. When we start to let the world define our situations and take us under in anxiety, fear and emotion, we start to sink into our problems and feel like we are going to drown.

There is power in the name of Jesus. All you have to do in order to use that power for the good of your life is to proclaim His name. He is always there besides you, walking with you through every journey and every battle. When we get so beat up and broken down that we forget to call on His name, we are putting so much weight on our own shoulders that we are bound to fail. He is the only answer.

If you’re scared, call on Jesus.

If you’re hurt, talk to Jesus.

If you’re in pain, lean into Jesus and take comfort in His care.

If you are lost, ask to be led by Jesus. He is the way, the truth, and the life.

And, as the title of this blog post states, when your feet begin to sink- look up! He’s got you my friend. You are so loved, so adored, and so cared for. And, I want to add that you are not alone. If you need an Earthly friend, just holler, I will be your friend! There are so many opportunities throughout your day and week to raise your hands to Jesus and surrender it all to Him. I need to practice this as well.

Jesus, thank you for being the Lord over my life. I give you all. I surrender all worry, doubt, fear and unknown when it comes to my career. If I’m being honest, that is the main thing that keeps me awake at night and the fear from that causes me to tremble. I know that you have something AMAZING in store for me and it will be even better than I could have imagined and asked for. You alone hold my future in your hands. Keep me grounded in that thought throughout the coming weeks while I journey down this path of unknown. Keep my spirit calm as long as I’m walking down the path that you have laid out for me. Guide me back towards that path if I ever start to stray. I am so thankful for everything you’ve done for me and I am amazed by your glory daily. I love you with all of my heart. Amen.

If you need to use that prayer listed above as a template for a prayer you need to say over your life, please do!! Talking to God doesn’t have to be hard, it’s a constant line of communication between you and the best friend you will ever have. I’m rooting for you my friend. You matter. Your journey matters. Your story matters.

~Gracefully, Kellen~