Get out of the Boat

Life can be risky.  If we're not careful, we can hunker ourselves down in a safety net and miss all the blessings.  Fear, anxiety, failure.  All tools that prevent us from taking risks.
What kind of risks am I talking about?  Not the 'lets jump out of an airplane,' or 'lets go scale the highest mountain.'  I'm talking about the risk where you make yourself vulnerable to others.  The risk of being your true-self to those around you.  After all, you have an image to protect, right?  No reason to expose ourselves to our secrets, hurts, failures.
I want to introduce you to someone who took a risk, failed, but was a better person for it.
His name is Peter.  This guy was out in a boat heading to a destination he was directed to go travel, thinking that it would be 'smooth sailing.'  But guess what?  A storm hit.    And like most fishermen do, when a storm hits, they either batten down the hatches, throw all the heavy weighted items overboard to keep the boat afloat, strap on their life jackets, and hide under the bow until the storm passes by.
But not Peter.  HE GOT OUT OF THE BOAT.
Why?  Because Jesus told him too.
You can read this account in Matthew 14:22-32
In the middle of verse 29 it says, 'he (meaning Peter) walked on the water'
Do you realize, that Peter is the only man who ever walked on water? 
It's because he risked getting out of the boat.
Now, I realize that Peter, once he took his eyes off of the Lord and paid more attention to the storm instead of the Saviour, that he began to sink.  You might even consider this a failure.
I don't.  Do you know why?  Because Peter risked GETTING OUT OF THE BOAT.
Peter learned that to look at our storms will cause us to sink, but when we look at the Saviour, we can walk through the storms, and He will be with us all the way.
Peter literally got out of the  boat.  
What is your boat?
What is keeping you anchored from doing what God has called you to do?
I don't know about you, but the risks are worth the blessings that follow, 
but then again.....that's just me.

"Real joy is not found in the best moments of life, but in the trusting that God is making the best of every moment." unknown