Safe to Shore

Laura Booz: One summer when I was a teenager, we went to the Atlantic Ocean. The blue sky stretched lazily in every direction. The soft sand warmed our toes as we ran towards the sea and crashed into the waves. The sun shone down upon our faces as we swam and surfed and jumped the waves for hours. 

Eventually, I was ready to set up my beach chair and spend some time with a good book. 

One of my friends and I headed to shore together, chatting as the waves rolled up against our backs and pushed us forward. 

Unbeknownst to us, a sand bar had developed while we were swimming, and suddenly the ground beneath our feet dropped out from under, and we were completely submerged under water. 

I grew up as a competitive swimmer, so I felt comfortable coming to the surface and getting my bearings. My friend, however, panicked. He started to thrash. He tilted his head above water, and all I could hear him say was, “Help me!”

It was surprising because he was typically so strong and capable. And yet in this circumstance, he was overwhelmed. He truly was in over his head. His plea for help was genuine. I wasn’t a trained lifeguard, but I had something to offer. Just a little confidence, just a little ability to tread water. Just an extra arm to grab his and move us forward until both of our feet were on solid ground again and we could walk safely to shore. 

Hi there. You’re listening to Expect Something Beautiful with Laura Booz. 

I believe our Christian lives resemble this moment. Because God often calls us to tasks that are far too difficult to navigate and manage on our own. We often feel like we are in over our heads. 

But He doesn’t leave us to flounder alone. He gives us a community of believers who can help. 

I’m thinking about a story from Luke 5 in which Jesus was down by the beach, walking along the shoreline, wanting to teach a crowd of people. But He needed a little distance away to project His voice. He saw some empty boats and got into one of them. 

It just so happened to be Simon Peter’s boat. 

So, they put out a little from land and Jesus taught the people from the boat. When Jesus was finished speaking, He told Simon to go out into deep water and let his nets down for a catch. 

Simon told Him they had toiled all night and they had caught nothing. But he said, “At your word I will let down the nets” (v. 5). 

No sooner had the nets crashed into the water, when in swam such a large number of fish that the net stretched and tore and broke at the seams. 

Simon’s boat started to sink. He signaled to his business partners, who were in another boat, calling, “Come and help me!”

They came and filled their boat with fish, until their boat began to sink. 

Scripture says that when Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ feet and said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 

Now, Jesus turned to him and He said, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”

That’s the moment when those fishermen, Simon, James, and John, docked their boats, left everything, and followed Jesus. 

I love this story! For here was Jesus telling Simon to do something, you know Simon Peter, strong and capable, and in faith Simon obeyed Him. And suddenly, he found himself in over his head, not able to manage this abundant blessing alone. Two other fishermen had to come and help, until their own boat was sinking. The blessing was too large for all three of them to manage.

What a perfect initiation for these disciples. Because in their ministry work, Jesus would tell them to do this and to do that, and time after time, the call would be too difficult for them to manage on their own. 

They would need one another’s help. 

Many times, they’d be facing thousands of people, swarming in worship of God, and they would indeed have to help one another, to care for God’s people. 

I’m not a Greek scholar, but what I discovered when I did my own study was that the Greek word Peter uses when he calls for help is used only one other time in Scripture. It’s found in the book of Philippians, actually in the same passage we talked about in the last episode of Expect Something Beautiful. 

To recap, at this point the apostle Paul is writing directly to two women, who were stuck in a disagreement with one another. You may remember that he says, “I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord” (Phil. 4:2). 

And then he addresses a third person, writing “Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women” (v. 3). Help these women, this is the same Greek word that Simon Peter used when he called out to his friends, “Come and help me!”

The difference is, these two women don’t feel like their boats are sinking under the weight of an abundant blessing. On the contrary, they probably feel quite empty. I wonder if Euodia and Syntyche heard Paul’s passionate request and their hearts just sank in discouragement. Agree in the Lord? With her? After what she said, after what she did? How am I ever going to do it?

I wonder if other people in the church thought these women could handle the conflict on their own? After all, they were strong, capable Christian women. But here they happened to have lost their footing. They were in over their heads. 

Euodia and Syntyche needed help to resolve their conflict. They needed help from someone with the character of a true companion. 

These two examples of Simon Peter and a true companion established the extremes of when God’s people need help from one another. From the times when we are delighting in fruitful and exciting work, to the times when we are broken, divided, desperate, and baren—when all we have to show for ourselves is a big mess of conflict and disagreement. 

These are the times when and everything in between when we can say “Help me! The Lord has asked me to something, and it’s far too hard for me to do alone.”

I believe this is meant to be the way of things. We may look at one another and think, Well, she has it all together, or I don’t want to burden anyone with my needs. But we are weak and limited people. We need each other. We may forget what we are made of, but our heavenly Father never does. He remembers we are made of dust and divine breath. He created and called us to be coworkers, family, one body, true companions. 

As we cast a wishful eye to Canaan land, the waves of individualism, judgmentalism, criticism, busyness, pride, and self-preservation may roar all around us. But may you and I often tilt our chins back and call for help. May we be readily available to lend a hand when we hear the call ourselves, and may we reach that happy shore, together. 

Expect Something Beautiful is a production of Revive Our Hearts calling women to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ.