It's A Ghost

 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” (Matthew 14:25-27)

We should keep in mind that the disciples had been awake all night in a storm on the middle of the lake. They were scared, stressed, and tired, so it’s not entirely unexpected for them to not be thinking clearly when a figure approached them. And, I have to wonder how they even saw Him. It was storming, and it was “shortly before dawn,” so there wasn’t a lot of light. Did He glow? Was He close before they saw Him?

For whatever reason, in their fear and exhaustion, they mistook Him for a ghost, and their heightened fear suggests that they didn’t consider ghosts to be benign spirits. More to the point, they took what was meant for their benefit and aid as something else, something dangerous.

That leads to two bits of wisdom. First, we need to keep in mind that when we’re too anything: tired, afraid, angry, stressed, infatuated, excited, hurt, etc., we aren’t likely to see clearly. In those “low light” circumstances, we’re more likely to misinterpret our experiences.  

Secondly, as I’ve noted before, strong emotions tend to reduce the universe to the size and shape of their perceived causes. I’ve heard that Scripture tells us 365 times “Do not fear.” It also tells us to have courage, be strong, and to have faith. We’re to cast our anxiety on God and, as described yesterday, seek His wisdom not only about what to do, but when to do it. But all of that requires that we deny our instincts. It means we should not make decisions at times when we want and feel we must make the decisions now because we are emotionally engaged.

There are some decisions I need to make at some point, and it frustrates me that I have to make them and have everything happen quickly. If I have to make the decision, let’s get it done and over with. The idea that a decision might have to be made in five years or ten  years is frustrating, but what I’m sensing from God is that right now, I’m supposed to be saying, “I’m willing” rather than “It should have been done yesterday.”