Reshaping Our Lives: Trying New Things

Matthew 14:22–33

There is a joke in the church about why we do the things we do. The answer is always, “Because that’s how we’ve always done it.” If changing our mindset is about the habits of our thoughts and beliefs, this is about changing the habits of our behaviors. We are sometimes on autopilot, just doing things because that’s how we’ve always done them. We never stop to ask ourselves if those things still work or if those things are what God is calling us to do. Sometimes we have to try new things.

When we are in the messy middle of a transition, taking a risk by trying something new can seem impossible. Yet, if we are to get through, we may be required to do a new thing.

When was the last time you tried something new? It could be an activity or a process. It could even be a new food. I recently tried a yoga class for the first time. I had done yoga at home using videos, but had never actually gone to a class. I was reluctant to do it, even though I wanted to try it. I worried about being the new person in class. I worried about whether I’d make a fool of myself. I worried that I would be miserable. None of the things I worried about actually happened. I can’t say that I loved it, but I did have a sense of accomplishment after I got home.

Moving forward and growth take risk. Peter takes a risk when he manages the courage to step out of the boat onto the water. He is definitely trying a new thing. Peter steps out of the boat and actually manages to take a few steps. However, he begins to panic when he hears the wind. When his fear takes over, he begins to sink. He took his focus off Jesus. And yet, it wasn’t a disaster. Peter did not drown. Jesus reached out and brought him to safety.

When we are in the midst of lifequakes, we tend to desperately cling to the old ways of thinking and doing, even when those old ways don’t work anymore. Lifequakes invite us to try new ways of doing things. It may be scary. It may seem risky. However, growth and forward movement usually require new things. God is always with us in the messy middle, and God is with us when we try new things.

Are you being called to try something new? Are your old ways of doing things keeping you stuck? Do you trust that God will be there to see you through the messy middle and into something new?

Stepping into something new rarely feels comfortable. It often feels uncertain, even frightening. But the invitation to grow is also an invitation to trust. Like Peter, we may not walk perfectly—we may hesitate, doubt, or even begin to sink. Still, Jesus meets us there, reaching out with grace and steadying our steps.

The call to try something new is not a call to have it all figured out. It is a call to move forward out of the messy middle in faith, trusting that God is already present in what lies ahead. Even in the messy middle, even in our fear, God is at work, guiding, sustaining, and making a way.

Rev. Dana Ezell