“Sometimes you just have to risk it and when you walk on water, God will hold you up.”
-Pastor Cedric Rouson
| I Can Do All Things |
I’ll come back that quote soon.
A few days ago, I polled my social media friends and followers asking them, “[Is] anyone else shaking in your boots because of the things God told you to do this year?” I followed up by simply saying, “Yeah, me too.” For many of us, the transition into 2018 brought new goals, new resolutions, and new assignments. For others, it could have simply urged us to think of new strategies. Either way, that one question poll helped me to see that I, Christen Diane Rouson, am NOT alone in my trepidation as it relates to the “To Do List” of 2018. Don’t get it twisted, I’m not fearful…I just have questions!
Shortly after my 29th birthday, I comprised a list of things that I want to accomplish or at least start before I turn 30 years old. Though I believe my possibilities are endless and I am multifaceted, I also know that I can be a procrastinator, I’ll second guess myself just a tad, and I’ll have to wrestle with the idea of quitting on the really hard days. All those things considered, I took a leap with this list of accomplishments, but left it just easy enough that if I didn’t knock those things out of the park I wouldn’t be too disappointed. WELL, let me tell you what God did. He kindly took my list and magnified it! Keep in mind that He is “able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think.” (Ephesians 3:20) I’d give examples of my bullet point list and the Mondo Burger result He handed back to me (movie reference: Good Burger), but all things will be revealed at the proper time. Just know I am NERVOUS thinking about many to all of the things that God has assigned me to do this year in conjunction with the other things that were on my personal goal sheet. In response to His counter offer for my 2018, I have the following questions:
- Uh God, WHO’S GOING TO PAY FOR THIS?
- How am I supposed to do these things when I don’t know how to do these things?
- Who’s helping me????
- WHO’S GOING TO PAY FOR THIS?
- I have how long to get this done?
- Are you sure 2018 is my year?
- WHO’S GOING TO PAY FOR THIS????? #strokethecheckGod
Bruh, days 1-11 of 2018 have already been a bit rough, and my bank account and patience have already been strained to the point of stress. How in the world am I supposed to walk this year out and finish? His answer:
- Start
- Don’t Stop
Really God, that’s your final answer?
While in an intense moment of frustration and stress, I ran across the aforementioned quote in an old notebook.
“Sometimes you just have to risk it and when you walk on water, God will hold you up.”
-Pastor Cedric Rouson
This particular quote was one that my pastor said to his executive team of leaders in a staff meeting almost a year or more ago. He was making reference to Peter who, in the middle of a raging storm, walked on water. Peter was on a boat surrounded by disciples who were not only freaking out because they were floating in a boat that was rocking and shaking because of the storm, but they also thought they saw a ghost walking on the water. Bless their hearts. Peter spoke up to the “ghost” with hopes that it was really Jesus and said, “If it is you, tell me to come to you,” and when he was instructed to come, he did. Pause. That moment was filled with so much ambiguity. I’m sure the other disciples were telling Peter how crazy he was for #1 talking to the ghost, #2 listening to the ghost when he confirmed that He was Jesus and told him to come, and #3 for leaving what seemed the safest place at the time. Peter probably had NO idea how he would make it to Jesus, and I can imagine that walking on water was the last thing he expected to do that day. Honestly if it were me, I could see myself asking, “Soooo God, you coming to get me or nah?” I won’t dwell on this story much longer, you’ll have to read the stories as recorded in the gospels according to Matthew, Mark, and John, but I’ll at least give you the conclusion. Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on the water towards Jesus until he got scared and started to sink. In that moment, Jesus reached out His hand to save Peter. P.S. the boat never stopped moving towards the shore throughout this whole ordeal. I want to share with you what I gained from this story.
- Comfort zones are often interrupted by “storms.” Why else would we move from a place that we enjoy unless it became uncomfortable?
- Not everything you see is what it is. Don’t be afraid to ask for clarity. Example: the ghostly figure was really Jesus, but they weren’t sure until they asked.
- Jesus just might ask you to do something that makes NO sense to you. Walk on the water, Jesus? Oh aight! But keep in mind that God isn’t relegated to making sense… Senses are for us.
- Just do what He says, okay? Peter could have easily been persuaded by his boat mates to stick to what he knew, but He also knew the works of Jesus too.
- You just might get freaked out along the way. Don’t think that you are immune to being afraid, and don’t think you’ve failed because you get afraid. It’s okay! Walking on water is SCARY!
- Jesus isn’t far from you. At the point that Peter started sinking, the Bible says that Jesus stretched out His hand to pull him up. There was no run and dive…Peter was close enough that Jesus could just stretch out his hand and rescue him.
- Know that Jesus will ALWAYS take care of you. Jesus did not leave Peter to drown even though it was Peter who allowed a moment of doubt to overtake him. JESUS IS NOT GOING TO LET YOU DROWN!
- You will make it to your destination. Neither the storm, the doubt, nor the near death experience stopped Peter (and the disciples) from getting to the shore.
All in all, I think our pastor was trying to show us that some things will seem a bit impossible and there may be a bit of uncertainty concerning how things will work out, but it is our job to trust the voice of Jesus, take a chance, and have faith that He’ll handle the rest.
“Commit your actions to the LORD, and your plans will succeed.“
Proverbs 16:3 [New Living Translation]
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”
Proverbs 3: 5-6 [New Living Translation]
THE MORAL OF THE STORY
The scriptures listed are keeping me sane as I look at these plans and try not to cry myself into 2019. I KNOW without a shadow of doubt that what is before me is what God told me to do. How do I know? Because I would have taken the easy way out! But I am encouraged that there aren’t limits to what I am capable to of accomplishing when I rely on the strength of GOD! Yeah, I can’t do this alone. From the moment that He magnified my little plans, I have been dead set on making sure that I don’t stray from His plans, will, or methods for my assignments. In all that I do, it is for Him…not me. I have been praying that God will keep my heart pure and my motives clean; I simply want to be a light for Him. In committing my plans to Him, I am guaranteed that it will succeed…even if that success is simply allowing Him to shine through me. Lastly, I can’t be consumed with what makes sense and what doesn’t or what I know and what I don’t know. With this here faith walk, I have no choice but to trust in the Lord and seek Him and His will. But here’s another guarantee: He’ll SHOW ME which path to take. Bye bye, guess work!
If you stand beside me staring at the possibilities of 2018, and you feel that your knees are just a bit wobbly, I encourage you with the instructions God gave me:
- Start
- Don’t Stop
Leave the details to God and trust what He tells you do. When you feel a bit afraid as you are conquering this tremendous task of walking on water, remember you are not alone. And if life tries to whisper in your ear that you are not cut out for this, with authority declare, “I can do all things.”
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:13 [English Standard Version]
I hope this helps.
-Chris ❤
Christen Rouson 
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