And the Lord said...

So I've been going to church with my dad here in Myrtle Beach. The minister has been doing a series of sermons based on "If you want to walk on water then you have to get out of the boat."

It's based on the bible story where the disciples were on a boat in a storm and they saw Jesus walking on the waves, coming toward them. Peter, one of the disciples, says that if it is Jesus out there to command him to get out of the boat and join him. So he does. But Peter sees the waves under him, freaks out, and sinks. Jesus has to pull him out.

The idea is that if you want to do something amazing, like walk on water, then you can't stay in your comfort zone, the boat. It's about trusting God. With the weekly bulletin there's been an insert with questions to think about.

And I've been thinking about it. Mainly because while I was in Louisiana there were so many signs telling me this was not the right path for me. The landlady thing was the last straw, we had had enough.

Then my dad offers us the beach house to stay in and we come to Myrtle Beach. And in this economic climate all three of us get jobs within the first week. Not great paying jobs, but ones we all like and that will feed us.

So back to the sermons - perhaps sucking it up in Louisiana was my boat and downgrading my project to a masters and getting the heck out was my risk - climbing out of the boat.


Then this week was about what gifts do we have and are we using them or not? We often don't use our gifts because it's risky - we have fear, discomfort, and/or are complacent. In doing so we could miss out on a chance of a lifetime.

I often think of my final judgement day with God. He says, "I gave you 'this, this, and this' (fill in the blank) and what did you do with it?"

I think my time as a biologist may be over and time to tap into my other gifts and abilities. I have a supportive husband and family, my health, my smarts and I want to get back into my art, knitting, and writing. I feel driven to write a manifesto for how I think we as a society have gotten off path. The more I resist politics and the priorities of our society, the more I feel driven to write about it.

Time to get out of the boat.