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Eyes on Me

Keep your eyes on me.
It was a very clear command I heard Him give me.

Matthew 14:22-31 tells the story of how an ordinary fisherman walked on water.
Jesus had sent the disciples ahead of Him—telling them to travel by boat. During the night, the winds picked up and the water was not acting favorably toward the boat and its occupants. At some point during the evening, Jesus decided to catch up to His disciples by walking across the water toward them.
Not knowing if they were seeing a ghost, the disciples start shouting at this supernatural figure approaching them. In only the way Jesus could, He reassures them that it’s Him walking toward them.  Peter, in all his boldness, asks Jesus to call him to Him. So Jesus does and Peter walks on water.
Then... he takes his eyes off Jesus.
The wind is howling.
The water is lurching.
The tension from the others left in the boat must have been palpable.
Confidence gone, he begins to fall through this previously invisible solid and yells out for help.
(Of course Jesus is right there to grab his hand and pull him to safety.)
The Bible doesn’t say how many steps Peter took before he fell into the water, but for however brief it was, a common man performed the same miracle as the Son of God.
All he had to do was keep his eyes on Jesus.

It’s this story that I imagine and replay in my mind as I try to remember His directive to me.
Keep your eyes on Me, Maria.
The news announces ever increasing death tolls.
Keep your eyes on Me, Maria.
The financial experts predict catastrophic losses continuing.
Keep your eyes on Me, Maria.
My Facebook newsfeed fills with bickering opinions and heartbreaking personal stories.
Keep your eyes on Me, Maria.

No matter how loud, strong or shocking the environment around me, I must keep my eyes on Him. Each step forward is possible as long as I keep my eyes locked onto His.
He’s not asking me to run. He’s not telling me I have a certain distance to go.
He’s just asking me to take one step at a time with my eyes set solely on Him.

For I’m just an everyday woman trying to live each day with the faith to walk on water in a wind storm toward Him.

Photo by JOHN TOWNER on Unsplash


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