I recently listened to a podcast¹ about a Bible passage I had heard before. This time I learned something new. Let me first set the scene from the story. Jesus sends his 12 disciples out on a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee while he goes up on a mountain to pray. The disciples are rowing across the lake all night, fighting against the strong wind coming against them. 

Then they see someone coming toward them – walking on the water. They freak out and think it’s a ghost, but Jesus calls out to them and says, “Don’t be afraid, it’s me.” 

The disciple Peter then takes the bold (some would say crazy!) step of getting out of the boat and walking on the water toward Jesus. He begins to look around at the wind and waves, gets scared and starts to sink.² Now, a lot of people harp on the fact that Peter takes his eyes off the Lord and starts to go down. 

But I think there are two important things to note here: 

  1. Jesus catches him – he doesn’t let Peter drown. 
  2. Peter gets out of the boat while his buddies stayed put

I had never bothered to give much thought to what the boat represented from a metaphorical standpoint (until I listened to the podcast, where I learned that the boat represents our comfort zone, whatever makes us feel safe.) I can’t help but think that for many of us who struggle with porn or addictive sexual behaviors, that thing we keep running back to, that is our boat. One leader of a recovery group I connected with would always refer to porn as a “predictable comfort”. I think that might be the perfect way to describe why despite our head knowledge of why porn is so bad – it often remains such a struggle.

I know for me that was often the case. I knew looking at porn wasn’t good for me, my life trajectory, or helping me achieve my goals. But somewhere in my mind, it felt safe and predictable. Sure, I knew I would feel like crap after, but for those few moments I knew what I was getting. It helped me escape from fear of failure, fear of change, and fear of the future.

It’s easy to let fear keep you in your boat. Just ask the 11 disciples who didn’t follow Peter out on the water! So, the challenge for each of us is simply this: Get out of the boat. 

It may be uncomfortable or feel scary. But otherwise, we stay stuck.

Maybe you need to get out of your boat and finally commit to a recovery support group. Or maybe getting out of your boat looks like sucking up your pride and admitting to someone you need help. Stepping out of your boat might mean finally ponying up the money to pay that monthly subscription fee for some accountability software. It might mean trying a new hobby (or picking up an old one) to make better use of your free time. The point is getting out of your boat takes intentional action.

All of us have steps we need to take to move our recovery forward. We may not walk on water right away. We may even sink a little. But God in his grace will always be there to catch us. 

It’s time to get out of the boat.

 

  1. “Above inspiration” (podcast on Spotify) March 12, 2024. Title: GET OUT OF THE BOAT Fear Not and Step Out in Faith. 
  2. Matthew 14:22-33, Mark 6:45-52, John 6:16-21, New International Version