#64 The Storm Didn't Stop

Many years ago, during a silent retreat at Mepkin Abbey, I spent an early morning praying with Matthew's account of Jesus and Peter walking on the water. Sitting alone in the monastery refectory before sunrise, with a Bible and a bottomless cup of coffee, I encountered that familiar Gospel in a way that has stayed with me for decades. Listening to the same passage again this Sunday, I heard something new in it - a remarkable lesson about purpose and perseverance. Peter actually walks on water while his eyes are fixed on Jesus. The storm is already raging. The wind is blowing. The waves are there. None of that changes. What changes is Peter's attention. In this episode, I reflect on what Peter's experience can teach us about remaining focused on our purpose when circumstances are beyond our control, how it connects to last week's episode, "Expect Nothing," and why perseverance doesn't mean never sinking. Sometimes perseverance looks like walking on water. Sometimes it looks like crying out, "Lord, save me," taking the hand Christ extends to us, and beginning again.