Lord,
I often wonder why
you didn’t still the storm
before you invited Peter
out of the boat
to take a stroll with you.
I mean,
it would have been
so much easier for both of you.
Instead he had to face a raging torrent!
It was a recipe for failure,
which then required you
to rescue him!

But then
I wonder
what I would do if I were in his place?
Would I cling to my little boat of faith,
(even if I spend most of my time
bailing her out
like the proverbial drunken sailor*)?
Or would I have the courage
to step overboard –
abandon ship, so to speak –
taking the risk of possibly
losing that flimsy faith
by accepting the invitation
of this bright figure
who calls me out
to walk with him,
on the face of the waters.

Perhaps,
like Peter,
I will have to be rescued –
perhaps time and time again –
until,
like Peter,
I get the hang of it.