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(BY Joni Eareckson Tada)
When I was little and went horseback riding with my
sisters, I had a hard time keeping up. My problem was
that I was riding a little pony only half the size of their
mounts. I had to gallop twice as fast just to keep up.
I didn't mind. I took it as a challenge - until we came
to the edge of a river. My sisters on their big horses
thought it was fun and exciting to cross the river at the
deepest part. They never seemed to notice that my
little pony sank quite a bit deeper into the swirling
waters. It was scary, but I wasn't about to let them know.
One crossing in particular sticks in my memory: the
Gorsuch Switch Crossing on the Patapsco River. It
had rained earlier that week and the river was brown
and swollen. As our horses waded out toward
midstream, I became transfixed staring at the swirling
waters rushing around the legs of my pony. It made
me scared and dizzy. I began to lose my balance in
the saddle.
The voice of my sister Jay finally broke through
my panic. "Look up, Joni! Keep looking up!"
Sure enough, as soon as I focused on my sister
on the other side, I was able to regain my balance
and finish the crossing.
That little story came to mind recently when I was
reading about Peter in Matthew 14. It seems he had
a similar problem as he walked on the water toward
the Lord Jesus. He looked down at the raging waters,
got dizzy, and lost his balance. Because he took his
eyes off the Lord and put them on the swirling waves
around him, he began to sink.
How much are we like him! Instead of resting on
the Word of God, we let our circumstances almost
transfix us, absorbing us to the point where we begin
to lose our spiritual equilibrium. We become dizzy
with fear and anxiety. And before you know it,
we've lost our balance.
It's easy to panic, isn't it? And admittedly, it's
hard to look up - especially when you feel like you're
sinking.
But my pony and I made it across the Patapsco and
Peter made it back to his boat. Thousands before
you, enduring the gale force winds of circumstance,
have made it through, keeping their eyes on the Lord
Jesus. How about you?
If you can't find a way out, try looking up.
When I was little and went horseback riding with my
sisters, I had a hard time keeping up. My problem was
that I was riding a little pony only half the size of their
mounts. I had to gallop twice as fast just to keep up.
I didn't mind. I took it as a challenge - until we came
to the edge of a river. My sisters on their big horses
thought it was fun and exciting to cross the river at the
deepest part. They never seemed to notice that my
little pony sank quite a bit deeper into the swirling
waters. It was scary, but I wasn't about to let them know.
One crossing in particular sticks in my memory: the
Gorsuch Switch Crossing on the Patapsco River. It
had rained earlier that week and the river was brown
and swollen. As our horses waded out toward
midstream, I became transfixed staring at the swirling
waters rushing around the legs of my pony. It made
me scared and dizzy. I began to lose my balance in
the saddle.
The voice of my sister Jay finally broke through
my panic. "Look up, Joni! Keep looking up!"
Sure enough, as soon as I focused on my sister
on the other side, I was able to regain my balance
and finish the crossing.
That little story came to mind recently when I was
reading about Peter in Matthew 14. It seems he had
a similar problem as he walked on the water toward
the Lord Jesus. He looked down at the raging waters,
got dizzy, and lost his balance. Because he took his
eyes off the Lord and put them on the swirling waves
around him, he began to sink.
How much are we like him! Instead of resting on
the Word of God, we let our circumstances almost
transfix us, absorbing us to the point where we begin
to lose our spiritual equilibrium. We become dizzy
with fear and anxiety. And before you know it,
we've lost our balance.
It's easy to panic, isn't it? And admittedly, it's
hard to look up - especially when you feel like you're
sinking.
But my pony and I made it across the Patapsco and
Peter made it back to his boat. Thousands before
you, enduring the gale force winds of circumstance,
have made it through, keeping their eyes on the Lord
Jesus. How about you?
If you can't find a way out, try looking up.
Midi: Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
