It’s pretty interesting that I am choosing to write on this topic. If you know me, you know that I have not written in a long time. There is no particular reason why. I have had MANY things to say, I just haven’t had the willpower or motivation to write. Silly really because I love writing, and God has given me many topics to write about. Anyway, in a work meeting, we had a devotional that really hit home for me. The topic was “Moments”. I would like to share the impact it had on me.
So before I jump in… Have you ever encountered a moment that just didn’t go the way you planned or expected? I mean, moments occur all the time in our lives. Some are planned, some spontaneous, some unexpected; but, for the believer…all orchestrated by God. See there are Memorable moments-those we take advantage of, embrace and thoroughly enjoy. They become beautiful memories. Then there are mishandled moments- moments we actually encounter but don’t get anything out of because we are afraid to embrace it. And last but certainly not least, there are missed moments. Those we simply do not experience.
This blog post was almost a missed moment until I decided to buckle down and write it. It then almost became a mishandled moment as distractions began to arise left and right, here and there. Then this and that happened. I mean, anything to keep me from writing it, including time passing enough for me to say “I’ll just finish this tomorrow”. KNOWING that tomorrow would become tomorrow, and that tomorrow would turn into next month, then next month into next year and so on and so on, until I would finally say, “I haven’t written anything in a year, I should probably start writing again.”. UGH Does this sound familiar? If it doesn’t, check the date of my last blog post (insert eye roll).
THIS IS WHAT I LEARNED
Most, if not all, missed and mishandled moments stem from fear. Fear, the ultimate culprit and biggest tactic of the enemy. My fear is FOMO (a term millennials use these days, although a lot of adults use them too). I’m 32 haha I AM NOT OLD, but somewhere down the line, I ended up just being OLD (boring)- MISSING OUT ON SO MANY MOMENTS!! This is by no means meant to disrespect my elders. When I say old I don’t mean by age or anything. I simply mean content in the house. If you’re offended, forgive me, I’m not talking about you. And “old” probably isn’t even the right word to use (Boring may be more suitable). I have had such a Fear of Missing Out that I have actually MISSED or MISHANDLED moments. I love food, I don’t always eat healthy because I want to experience all of the yummy unhealthy stuff, soft drinks, juice, etc. I enjoy my time relaxing and not doing anything; and, as a result, I miss out on moments and memories that can be made with friends, family, etc. I’m a homebody, love staying home. I want a body that is fit and strong yet I don’t work out simply out of fear of missing out! How RIDICULOUS does this sound!? It is absolutely ridiculous. It is ABSOLUTELY DECEPTIVE! THIS, people, is my revelation. God revealed to me that because of my “FOMO” I am actually missing out on memorable moments. I am not even giving myself a chance to mishandle them because I don’t encounter them. For years, this has been my life. Missed moments. Not all the time but a lot. I have dreams, desires, hopes, vision. But I fail to reach them because of the deception that has clouded my brain, because of the veil over my eyes, because of the built-up ear wax in my ears that the devil put there to…you ready? KEEP. ME. DISTRACTED. Not anymore. Why it took this long to see, I don’t know; but, my eyes are open and I am fully aware and moving forward. So, don’t be deceived by the enemy and his lies. Don’t give him so much credit. He is NOT that smart. His tactics are the same, and if he is talking you out of your obedience, ignore it because he is likely trying to keep you from something that can be an extremely amazing GOD MOMENT.
In Matthew 14:22 There are a few things that have happened leading up to Peter walking on water. John the Baptist dies, Jesus does not have time to mourn, He then feeds the five thousand (can’t imagine how hard that was to not be able to mourn a good friend and family member after they are murdered). He calls the disciples to get in a boat. Put yourself in this situation (a memorable, yet sad few moments for Jesus). He then brings them to a storm (another key factor-God does not run from storms-He conquers them! and since He did it, so can we!) The disciples see Jesus walking on water and are baffled, not knowing really what’s going on (I would probably be freaked out too if I saw my mentor and Savior defying the laws of nature/gravity) Out of all of the disciples that Jesus called out to (and he called out to them, not just Peter), only Peter came. He was not trying to miss the moment. He was focused on the right person, at the right time, and ended up encountering a supernatural, God-sized, memorable moment. However, he ended up mishandling it when he lost focus of the One who brought him to that moment. He focused on the circumstance, the elements of the storm, the DISTRACTION; and he ultimately began to sink. Are you catching the relation of Peter’s experience to the ones we have daily? The other disciples completely missed it because they found safety in the familiar, in the natural, in- the- boat. This was because of fear and lack of faith in the One who called them. In the end, after Jesus and Peter returned to the boat, the storm stopped and the disciples’ eyes were opened to the true character of the Son of God. And this is what God wanted above all else. He wanted them to recognize that He is God and he would not bring them into any situation where He is not walking with them in the storm. He will not let them sink. He will never leave them nor forsake them. What an experience to miss. If you recognize the stories in the Bible you will know that this opportunity never came back around. How many moments have you missed that hasn’t come back around?
Here are a few things to ponder, if you made it this far:
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Is it possible that Jesus was trying to deliver them from the boat (the norm, the “safe” comfortable space) and not the storm? We tend to move towards what we naturally put first. What are you putting before God?
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Was Christ trying to show them that wherever He is, that is where we can do the impossible?
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Could it be that Peter realized he was no longer in the boat (he focused on the wrong thing) and began to recognize that he was operating outside of what was natural and talked himself out of obedience? (The fear returned when he became distracted-remember God says “DO NOT FEAR” at least 365 times in the Bible)
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Could it be that if you truly knew the character of God, you wouldn’t doubt His plan and intentions for your life (doubt is the absence of truth)?
Remember these things:
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If you want to walk on water, you have to get out of the boat.
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Fear is knowing the facts but ignoring the truth.
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Fear is trusting in what we see instead of what and WHO we know.
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Every moment for the believer is a divine set up by God.
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A miracle is the suspension of natural laws for supernatural purposes.
**Every moment eventually becomes a memory. If we stay in the boat, we will miss the moment. If we get out and lose focus of Jesus, we mishandle the moment. If we step out in faith and stay focused on Jesus, we will experience a memorable moment. What will it be for you? How are you going to respond the next time God calls you to do something that makes absolutely no sense? My suggestion…Get out of the boat.
