“When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.”

Luke 5:11

Truth be told, I hate boats. The instability of the sea and the waves coupled with my propensity for seasickness makes me want to run for the shore. In the water, you are shaking and rocking and have no way to control the ferocity of the water. But without the boat at all, there would be no way to stay afloat. It’s the boat that does the work and we depend on it when we are at sea.

In that regard, I am grateful for boats. For the things I reach for and to when my life becomes unstable. And as a person who sometimes wrestles with trusting God, I many times grab a hold of every boat but the one Jesus is in to steady myself.

My entire life I was made to believe that my career came first above all things. That this career would carry me and keep me afloat and provide for all of my needs both physical and emotional. My life’s purpose was wrapped up in it, it was my center, and it certainly was the boat I stayed in and worshipped for many years. I worked so hard after all to earn it, and certainly, it would carry me through deep waters.

But this past August, I learned that this simply wasn’t true. When the boat I was on began to sink, Jesus called me to pull it to shore. I stayed put all night like Simon to continue on with the only job I ever knew. But Jesus told me to lower the nets, hand over the reins to him. In obedience I did. And when I parked my boat on the shore, I too left behind everything to follow Him.

In this new land, I am without my boat, the thing I knew, the life I lived for all these years. But giving up the thing I loved the most has taught me that nothing is worth loving more than God. And we all have that thing, that boat, that we stay in, that we depend on to steady us rather than depending on God.

Many times, we are simply not ready or wanting to commit ourselves fully to following Christ and His call

Today, think about what your boat might be.

Could it be a person, a place, or a thing that you depend on and hold tightly to?

Is God calling you to bring that boat into the shore and follow Him to something greater?

And how will you ever find out if you stay adrift in the sea?

Today, Jesus is asking for a full commitment. Lower your net, and come into shore.