Last week, my niece and her toddler came to my house to visit. I went running out and squatted down with my arms wide open, ready to receive the toddler in a warm embrace. She came running toward me, hair bouncing, big smile and giggles… then she had a brief moment of hesitation. She looked around at the surroundings, looked back at her mom, and then shyly continued toward me.
How many times have we imagined a reunion with a loved one to look similar to what we’ve seen in the movies or even commercials? Two people are running along the beach toward each other, with one jumping into the arms of the other. Or two people see each other from across the way and both drop everything and run to hug each other. Yet how often is that the way things really play out? For me, at least, there is usually some hesitation, even awkwardness, in the whole event. The beach scene - Have you ever run in the sand? It’s not as easy as it looks! The drop-everything scenario – What is it that I’m dropping, and is something going to break? (Maybe I’ll just set this bag down gently because I don’t want my eggs to break.) Who or what might I trip over as I am running through the store? Something in our humanness creates a sense of hesitancy.
In today’s Gospel reading, Peter hesitated when Jesus commanded him to get out of the boat and walk across the water to Him. He knew it was Jesus. He began with strong belief and confidence. And then he looked around, recognized that he was out of his comfort zone, maybe overanalyzed things a bit, and he hesitated. In my head, I’d like to think that if Jesus commanded me to walk out on the water to Him that I would jump out of that boat and run across the water and jump into His arms. But would I? Or, like Peter, would I allow a bit of doubt to sink in and cause me to hesitate?
Even when our belief is strong, our faith sometimes falters. Perhaps our past experiences, discomfort with the unknown, or our mere brokenness as humans can lead to a sense of hesitancy in our connection with Christ. A hesitancy that could even possibly be perceived as a sense of distrust.
The Gospel goes on to paint a beautifully reassuring picture: Peter called out to the Lord to be saved, and “immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him.” What a grace! I extend an invitation to pray today with the vision of Christ crouching with arms wide open, ready to wrap us up in unconditional love. And as we run to that embrace, hair bouncing, smiling and giggling, even when we hesitate (or even trip), take comfort in knowing that Christ will stretch even further and catch us.
Becky Nickerson
As a Creighton employee of over 20 years, a course instructor, an alumna, and a mom of a Bluejay alum, I am grateful that so much of my journey has been centered in a place that has encouraged me to explore and grow in my faith and live out a mission that is core to my own value system. I love my work, I am rooted in my faith, and I’m really not sure how I could ever separate them at this point. I am excited to be a new contributor to Creighton’s online ministry – learning and serving in a new way.
