Confident

Sunday I spoke with two friends who are heading on a great adventure in a couple of days. They are going to New Mexico to spend several days in the wilderness backpacking. Backpacking is something I love and I am truly excited for them!

When you prepare and go for your first few trips, it’s about survival.  You are putting everything you need to survive in the wilderness into one pack, carefully planning a route and then setting forth into the unknown.  I have been on many backpacking trips in my life and I look forward to many more.  They haven’t all gone as planned and I have learned important lessons along the way.  For me now, backpacking is less about surviving and more about thriving.  I thrive, backpacking, because I am confident and that confidence stems from many miles of experience.

It seems often that Jesus’ disciples don’t really understand what is going on or who Jesus actually is.  Not long after feeding the five thousand they are worried about food and discussing amongst themselves what to do.  Jesus responds:

“Don’t you understand yet? Don’t you remember the five loaves that fed the five thousand and how many baskets of leftovers you gathered?” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16:9‬ ‭CEB

Life is full of amazing possibilities with Christ.  Still we too often forget the potential, finding ourselves caught in more of a “survival” situation with Jesus.  What will we eat next?  Survival isn’t all bad.  It is where we all begin the path of discipleship but the goal is to get to where we thrive more than merely survive.  

The Peter that worries about his next meal is not the same Peter who heals the paralytic.  

“Peter and John stared at him. Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gazed at them, expecting to receive something from them. Peter said, “I don’t have any money, but I will give you what I do have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, rise up and walk!”” Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭3:4-6‬ ‭CEB

This version of Peter has gained confidence in life invested with Jesus. To get to that place takes practice. Spend every moment you can with God and become confident in what God can do with you!