By Shari McMinn

He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out His hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:29-31 ESV)

Like Peter, we often have doubts when Jesus wants us to get out of the boat of our life. When He says to us, “Come,” we need Him to hold our hand and rescue us when we start to sink. Jesus is first and foremost the best lifesaver we could ever hope for. We should never be afraid (or ashamed) to cry for help in the storm of homeschooling — especially as we are nearly drowning. We need help first from Jesus and then from those around us that He will use to help rescue us! 

I love to swim, particularly in the ocean. I’m an experienced swimmer, and all of my children are too, after years of lessons and practice. If the surf is strong, it’s easy to be overcome by high waves and those scary undercurrents, which pull you further out than you want to be. Last May during a family beach vacation, my teenage son, although a very good swimmer, called for help when a strong undertow suddenly grabbed him. Thankfully, my adult son was nearby and had a boogie board so he could quickly get to my teen. It was scary to watch! My older son literally saved his younger brother’s life that day. Whew! I reminded my kids later that we never swim alone or in the dark for such a reason.