Don't Stop Swimming!

I was in college when I saw my first Olympic size swimming pool. My eyes couldn't even begin to take it all in! I was accustomed to kiddie pools, above ground pools and smaller in-ground pools and to see a pool so enormous was a treat. To swim it in was something different though. It was old hat for my friends. They dove right in and could make it to the other side in a matter of seconds. I was just hoping my arms and legs could survive! When you're in the middle of a pool that size, you can't just stop swimming. You've got to look ahead to the other side.

In Mark 4, Jesus had just spoken to the crowd using various parables. Night had come and He was ready to get in the boat and leave. Jesus told his disciples in Mark 4:35, "Let us go over to the other side." While out on the lake, a storm came and a large wave washed over the boat. All the while Jesus was sleeping. His disciples woke him up and asked for help and you know the rest of the story.

When Jesus told the disciples, "Let us go over to the other side", he said nothing about stopping midway and drowning. Although He didn't promise an easy boat ride, He certainly said nothing about dying, drowning, or giving up. When He said, "Let us go to the other side", He meant they would indeed make it and He would be with them, but no one in the group thought about the choice of Jesus' words.

How many of us stop along the way and become frightened by the storms and circumstances around us?

Jesus was the one who told the disciples to leave the area where they were and to row to the opposite side of the lake. In other words, there will be times in your life when God leads you out onto a stormy sea. The sky gets dark, the lightening crashes all around you, and the waves get higher and higher. You have no idea how you'll make it through, but God knows. He is the One who led you to this point and no matter how rough the waters become, He will carry you to safety.

Whatever you're facing today, God is urging you to keep rowing to the other side.