I’ve been sitting with something lately. Not a new goal. Not a next step. And not even a big decision. Just a question. If I say, “I want to live,” why do I so often choose the place where life feels safest instead? The statement, “Why we stay on the shore,” needs a response.
I believe in God.
I trust Him.
I’ve walked with Him for years.
And yet, if I’m honest, there are places in my life where I remain carefully positioned. Thoughtful. Measured. Reasonable…on the shore.
The Familiar Story We Think We Know
Most of us are familiar with the story of Peter walking on water.
It’s usually told as a lesson about courage, faith, or risk.
Peter steps out. He looks at the waves. He sinks. Jesus rescues him. End of story.
But what often goes unnoticed is this:
Everyone else stayed in the boat. And no one scolded them for it. They were being practical, safe, and did what seemed sensible. No judgement there! They watched the miracle from a distance.
What Ted Dekker Helped Me See
In The Water Walker, Ted Dekker reframes this moment in a way that has stayed with me.
The issue wasn’t about Peter’s bravery. It wasn’t his personality, and it wasn’t even his faith. It was identity. Peter stepped out because, for a moment, he lived as if he truly belonged to the One standing on the water.
Fear didn’t come first. When Jesus said, “Come,” that was the spoken word of God simply waiting to be lived out. God’s word cannot fail, so Peter had absolutely nothing to loss, until he allowed fear to enter.
Fear came later, when he remembered the waves. And that struck me. Maybe we don’t fail to live because we lack faith. Maybe we fail to live because we forget who we are – identity.
The Shore Isn’t Sinful – It’s Just Safe
The shore isn’t rebellion or disobedience. It isn’t even wrong. It’s just controlled. The shore is where:
- We manage risk instead of trusting God
- We call caution wisdom without asking if it’s fear
- We protect ourselves from disappointment
- We keep life contained and predictable
The shore feels responsible, mature, and very explainable. Is it justification? Fear with a mix of pride will cause us to come up with all kinds of answers for that question.
But the shore is also where life can slowly thin out. Where we survive well… but don’t fully live.
When Safety Masquerades as Faithfulness
Here’s the tension I’m feeling:
I can live a good life on the shore and even serve God from the shore.
I can encourage others from the shore. But I can also miss something essential.
Jesus didn’t invite Peter to believe harder. He invited him to come.
Peter didn’t have to prove anything. He didn’t even have to perform. All he had to do was trust the one who was calling him.
And maybe that’s the invitation I’m hearing in my own declaration, “I want to live.”
Maybe living doesn’t require more courage, or to pray harder, or do anything longer, harder, faster, or better than others. It just requires me to fully love Him without hesitation. After all, perfect love casts out fear.
From Safety to Sonship
Dekker makes a quiet but profound point:
“Most believers don’t live like sons and daughters. They live like spiritual orphans.”
Ted Dekker
Orphans manage life, protect themselves, work on securing their outcome, and stand on the shore…where the water never touches them. When I speak of orphans, I mean those of us who live without fully loving and trusting God. We say we trust God.
God’s children trust that they are held even when the surface feels uncertain. Living begins when we stop acting like we’re on our own. We talk the talk, but don’t live it out.
The Easier Path
This isn’t a call to reckless faith, because faith is not blind. It’s not a dare to jump into chaos. It’s an invitation to notice where we’ve confused control with wisdom, and safety with faithfulness.
For me, this season hasn’t been about stepping out dramatically. It’s been about loosening my grip, exhaling, and letting identity (who I am in Christ) lead before effort – thinking I have control.
Because maybe when I say, “I want to live,“ what I’m really saying is, “I want to stop living like I have to secure and protect my own life.”
Living Begins with Trusting You’re Already Held
Jesus didn’t stand on the water to test Peter. He stood there to show him where he already belonged. And maybe living, real living, begins when we realize we’re not being asked to prove our faith…
Only to trust the One who is already present. Already with us. Walking with us. A part of every second of our everyday life.
Challenge of the Week:
This week, don’t try to “step out” yet. We need to just notice the shore. So, ask yourself:
- Where am I choosing safety over trust?
- Where am I managing life instead of receiving it?
- Where am I standing close enough to watch but not close enough to participate?
Don’t judge what you see. Don’t try to fix it. And don’t force movement. Simply name it for what it is. Then realize it’s not yours to keep – let it go and step out. Name what it is that is holding you back. Living begins the moment we realize that all we have to do is step out. So be it.
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