When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It is a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
Matthew 14:26-27 (NIV)

I remember a Sunday school teacher once telling my class about Jesus. She thought her words were comforting, but to me they were a nightmare. She said, “If you look beside you, that’s where Jesus is – all the time.” I nearly peed my pants!

I believe my fear of Jesus as a child came from similar reasons as my fear of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost as I grew older. Deep down inside, I knew I was a “bad girl.” I knew that if Jesus really were sitting next to me and seeing everything I was doing and hearing everything I was saying, He would be very angry with me. Because of these things that I thought I knew, I also believed that I wasn’t worthy of His comfort, friendship, acceptance or love. Instead, I only thought He would judge me and turn His back on me for being such a sinner.

What I have learned as I’ve listened to sermons, read the Bible, and studied the writings of Jesus followers is that I am exactly the type of person Jesus would have chosen as one of his disciples. Matthew was a tax collector, the most hated profession of the time. Thomas doubted the resurrection of Jesus until he could see and touch Him. In fact, every one of the twelve abandoned Jesus during His darkest hour. And yet, as Jesus appears to His disciples, walking on water, he yells out to them when they become frightened: “Don’t be afraid.” He speaks comfort to those who He knows will flee from Him when He needs them the most.

It is Peter who gets out of the boat and begins to walk on the water toward Jesus, showing he has more faith than any of them. Quickly, Peter begins to sink when his human fear overcomes that faith. This man who followed Jesus, was able to touch Him and hear His messages first-hand, and actually saw Him walking across the water with his own eyes – even this man was a slave to his fear at this miraculous moment in time.

I think what I love most about this passage is when Peter begins to sink, he calls out for Jesus to save him and the Lord “immediately reached out His hand and caught him.” Jesus doesn’t roll His eyes, put His hands on His hips, and scold Peter; He “immediately” takes action to save him. Because of the little I know about Peter from Bible stories and movies I’ve seen, I believe I’m a lot like him – warts and all. I want to believe and be the best follower Jesus ever had – but I’m also human, and therefore I tend to stumble in that desire.

Today, I trust that Jesus sees me as He saw Peter at that moment on the water – His faithful follower who gives in to fear on occasion. Fortunately for me (and all of us), all I need to do when I give in to that fear is call out to Him and ask Him to save me. And, just as with Peter, He will immediately reach out His hand to catch me.