Taking a Step is Success

Hitting the "send" button meant there was no turning back. I checked the screenplay. Repeatedly. I ran through the mental checklist of what I needed to make sure was correct before I sent it. I checked the guidelines at least ten times, avoiding being disqualified over a submission error. My lack of self-esteem continued to tell me there was no point in sending it in because I am not talented enough to win a contest. A moment of truth came as I sat in a cabin alone and prepared to hit the "send" button or simply close the computer and go on with life.

I hit "send". Immediately, my stomach churned. I imagined the contest director opening the email and shaking her head, thinking, "This has to be the worst thing I have ever read." I couldn't turn back because the email was sent. Praying began as soon as it sunk in that this was now real. I had taken a step I had never taken before. I had stepped out on a ledge. A fall may come but at least I took a step. Normally, the voices in my head, those doubts and discouragements that are blaring every day, win out, but not this time. I was determined to get a step closer to my dream of reaching people with the gospel through movies.

I learned a Peter-style lesson through this. Those who take a step are never failures. Regardless of the outcome, those who at least pursue their dreams successfully avoid the question of what could have been. As Peter saw Jesus walking towards them on the water, he called out to Jesus, "Lord, if it's You, command me to come to You on the water." (Matthew 14:28) Jesus told Peter to come to Him, and with that word, Peter stepped out onto the waters. In this truth, we learn something from the day Peter stepped out of the boat.

1 - Do not base life on what others choose to do. Peter stepped out in faith even though everyone else stayed in the comfortable confines of the boat. Though they were too fearful or too cautious to take a step, Peter wanted something more. He was willing to risk it even though the others played it safe. What if Peter had chosen to stay with them? What if Peter said that he wasn't going to be the only one? The beauty is that we do not have to wonder what may have happened because Peter did not wait to see what others would choose to do. He went.

2 - Even if you fall, you can say that you stepped out. We know the story and we know that after a few steps, fear set in for Peter. But here is what we often forget. Those first steps of faith would never be undone. He walked on the water towards Jesus. He stepped out in faith and courage. Nearly two thousand years later, the story is still told of that day when Peter did what no one else would do. He walked on the water with Jesus.

3 - If you fall, Jesus is there. Peter began to sink, but even in that moment of anxiety, Jesus was there. Scripture said that Jesus immediately reached out and took hold of Peter. The same is true for us. When He calls us to step out of the boat and onto the waters, He is calling us with the assurance that He will be there with us. We are not alone and knowing that we have taken that step to follow Him, He will not allow us to be overcome. He was there the moment Peter needed Him. He is here in the moments where we need Him as well.

Know this. Even taking a step towards what God is calling you to do in your life is success. That first step is often times the toughest and even the loneliest step you will take. Others may mock you. Some will question you. Those in the boat will critique what you are doing and will tell you things you should have done. Here is the thing. They stay in the comfortable of the known while you are taking a step to follow Jesus into the unknown. Success is chasing a dream, regardless of outcome, knowing that whether you ultimately succeed according to man is not as important as successfully striving to follow God.