Stormy waves and wind

No more boat, no safety net.

Water walking time.

Have you ever done something that makes no logical sense to anyone - including yourself? What gives us the courage to move forward in the face of impossible circumstances? Knowing the Lord is the One who gave the direction, knowing it's His will to step out of the boat and walk on a wave that two seconds ago you thought would kill you. Nothing else could move me out of the boat.

I'm a planner and a thinker. I've learned literally and figuratively to keep my cards close to my vest. I'm conservative. I learn by observing other people's mistakes as much as possible. But God.

God likes to take us outside our comfort zone. That means you WILL be uncomfortable. You will be stretched. You will be tested beyond what you thought you could possibly do. It will happen again...and again...and again...until you stretch your capacity to that new level. This is God's way of increasing our effectiveness by expanding our comfort zone. Once you've reached a new comfort with what was previously quite scary, you go through the process again. Why does it have to be so hard? God isn't a meanie! He knows our potential and wants to see us reach and exceed it.

I had a ligament replaced in my knee in 1999. They sent me home with a machine to get my knee flexible and a first appointment with a physical therapist. Every week I would go to the therapist and get new at home exercises and stretches. Every week they would stretch my knee for me at the end of our session. The last few weeks were pretty intense. I would literally tremble in pain as they bent my knee beyond what I could bear. I knew they were helping me and not harming me (even though it hurt). I really did do my homework every week. I really did stretch and bend my knee at home. But there is only so much that I can do on my own. Some things I can't put myself through, I need an experienced person who knows how far beyond my current capacity I can be stretched without hurting me.

That's God. He stretches us beyond our capacity for our benefit. It may hurt, but it doesn't harm us. It makes us more than we were before.

Psalm 34:8 - "Oh taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusts in Him."