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Hello Beautiful Beloveds,
In the story of Jesus walking on the water in the midst of a storm, it may seem easy to give Peter a lot of grief. When the disciples are out on the water, in the dark, and terrified, instead of trusting Jesus to the end, Peter ends up taking a swim. But I think, both above and below the water, Peter was actually very brave.
He was brave for stepping on the water walking to what was originally thought to be a ghost, and then he sank, he was brave enough to ask for help. And yes, we can probably credit some of this latter bravery to desperation, (drowning is powerful motivation) but asking for help required bravery, nonetheless.
I don't know about you, but in this boot strapping, need-is-weakness, ruggedly individualistic society in which we live, sometimes I'd rather drown then appear to be needing help. And sometimes, I'm so out of it that I don't even know I'm drowning. Especially when it comes to ingesting everything on our newsfeeds (i.e. groom scrolling) or keeping our news channels on around us for hours and days at a time.
Our minds and hearts can only take so much. We weren't built for being able to carry compassion and empathy in the face of trauma after trauma after trauma being reported to us. On top of our overfilled schedules and our sometimes unfilled needs for rest, deep connection, and tenderness in community.
And that’s when we begin to drown, in the form of desensitization and callousness and victim blaming. It’s when we begin to drown in the form of depression or chronic irritation or despair. And all of that makes it difficult to notice when the water of overwhelm have filled our lungs…to notice that maybe we should scream or at least pray for help. And I believe that’s where Peter should get credit. He noticed; he asked, and received.
And in doing that, he lived another day, grew in divine relationship, and later reached out to help us to keep future disciples from sinking, by become the rock of Christ’s church. May we too do the same, notice, ask, and receive so that we can later reach out to others who are sinking, needing Beloved Community.
Here’s at least one way to ask God’s help, in the form of a prayer (abridged) from the book Every Holy Moment , vol. 1, by Douglas Caine McKelvey:
In a world so wired and interconnected,
Our anxious hearts are pummeled by an endless barrage of troubling news period. We are daily aware of more grief, O Lord, then we can rightly consider, of more suffering and scandal than we can respond to, of more hostility hatred horror and injustice than we can engage with compassion.
Give us discernment
In the face of troubling news reports.
Give us discernment
To know when to pray, went to speak out,
When to act, and went to simply shut off
Our screens and our devices
And to sit quietly
In your presence,
Casting the burdens of this world
Upon the strong shoulders
Of the one who
Alone
Is able to bear them up.
Amen.
Peace, love, and joy,
Mo. Nikki+
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