But when he saw the wind, he was afraid (Matthew 14:30).

Poor Peter.

There he was, walking on the water, standing on the waves with the One who made them.

It doesn’t get better than that.

And it didn’t.

Because he took his eyes and his thoughts off of Jesus for just a moment.  And a moment was all it took.  Scripture doesn’t tell us exactly what went through Peter’s mind at that moment, but I’m thinking it was along the lines of, “What am I doing?  I can’t walk on water!”

And, just like that, he couldn’t.

Peter’s in good company.  The prophet Elijah would understand completely.  He had just called down fire from God—pretty impressive—to annihilate the wicked prophets of Baal.  A little showy, perhaps, but very effective—and an obvious demonstration that God was with Elijah.  This annoyed Queen Jezebel, and she threatened to kill Elijah.

So he ran.  Fast and far.  For just a moment, he took his eyes off God and focused on the danger represented by this woman.  And just like that, the danger became more real than the God Elijah served.

I’ve done it, too.  So have you.  God is doing something wonderful in our lives, teaching us, growing us, showing us new dimensions of his love…

And then we look down, like the tightrope walker a thousand feet in the air.

And we panic.

Scripture tells us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.  Life backs that up.

What is God calling you to, Beloved?  What is he working on in you?  It doesn’t have to be as grand as walking on water or calling down fire—though if he does, call me.  I wanna watch.  It could be as ordinary as learning to trust him with your future, as simple as learning to love unconditionally, as basic as learning to give without thought of reward.

Actually, walking on water may just be easier than any of those.

Whatever today’s challenge is, lock your eyes on the author and perfecter of your faith and start walking.

Don’t look down, Beloved.