The Second Step

Talking Scripture with a four-year-old is always an adventure. It can often times stir up the most random and unrelated questions. Other times, you can get some of the most profound insights from them because their minds are so incredibly simple. Whatever the case, I always try to show my daughter real life applications of Scripture. This past Sunday’s Gospel provided a great example for this.

On the way home from the Saturday vigil Mass this past weekend, my wife and I were discussing dinner plans.  We decided on grilling some hot dogs for dinner.  We discussed our plans with our four-year-old who agreed on hot dogs but adamantly opposed eating the bun. Now if you knew my daughter, you’d come to understand that she hates bread (I know seriously, what kid hates bread???). We decided to press the issue with her and explained that now that she is four, perhaps her taste buds may have changed enough for her to tolerate bread.  After much deliberation, she actually promised to at least try a couple bites of hot dog with the bun. This, of course, was an empty promise and once the hot dogs were done and dinner was actually in front of her, she refused the bun. We went back and forth trying to convince her to at least take one bite but nothing seemed to work.  I was then reminded of the gospel reading from Mass (Matthew 14:2-33).  In the Gospel, Jesus commanded Peter to step out of a boat and walk to Him on the water.  Scripture tells us that Peter immediately stepped out and did in fact walk on water.  However, once he turned and saw the waves, he was filled with doubt and began to sink only to have the Lord pull him out.

I brought this up with her and told her that she was just like Peter.  She readily agreed to the bun just as Peter immediately took that first step out of the boat.  But when he was out of the boat and ready to take the second step (and probably actually came to terms with what he was doing) he doubted and began to sink. Once dinner was in front of her and she was ready to take the second step, she turned away and refused. This, of course, made no sense to her.  But she did however finally take a bite which she abruptly spit out.

Often times in life, we find ourselves in the same position as Peter.  We hear the call of the Lord to come to Him and do something great in one way or another. Jesus is constantly calling to us. He calls to us at Mass in the Sacraments. He calls out to us in our offices or classroom. He is the homeless person on the street waiting for someone to buy them lunch and talk to them. Jesus is always calling and many times, we hear Him and actually respond and take that first step toward Him. We then get excited and pat ourselves on the back forgetting about the second step.  Or we realize the second step but put it off thinking that we’ll eventually get around to it. 

Last year for Lent, my wife and I decided we were going to try a new diet called the “Whole 30 Diet”.  The basic idea is that for 30 days, you consume a strict low-carb diet that consists of no processed foods, no bread, no dairy, and a whole bunch of other stuff.  Bottom line…it’s really hard! And since it was Lent we figured we’d make it 40 days (Basically, this is what Jesus did in the desert). We also were going to begin a strict exercise program and by Easter Sunday I was going to be absolutely ripped. We got super pumped for this and when Ash Wednesday came along, we are off and running. Things started off great. We were excited and things seemed to be going along just fine.  By the time day 2 came along, I was ready to be done with it.  The novelty had warn off and all I wanted was a cheeseburger. The low point came early the next when I was attempting to eat “dessert” which was almond butter mixed with coconut flakes. We finally looked at each other and caved. I drove drive down the street to pick us up some Taco Bell and ice cream (We’re awesome at fasting!) and we never spoke of the Whole 30 again.

Often times, the call of Christ is an opportunity for change and for something new. Maybe you’ve been asked to take on a new role that’s exciting but at the same time out of your comfort zone.  Maybe you’re a youth minister who just got an awesome idea for a program to run.  Or perhaps you have just felt inclined to pray more and grow closer to Jesus. The first step, while challenging, often takes place because we’re excited and pumped about it.  But the hard part is really that second step. How do we do we respond when it’s time to put our ideas into practice or when we are tired and the excitement has worn off. 

So how do we take the second step without sinking?

1. Set aside set time every day to pray

Whenever we are listening for the call of the Lord we must actually set aside time to listen to Him. It can be really easy to get excited and commit to something without actually fully knowing what we are committing to. Look at your day to day schedule and schedule in set time to spend with Jesus. If you are new to prayer it may just be a few minutes right when you wake up and a few minutes before bed and eventually grow into something more.A good suggestion to start is to read through the daily readings for 5 minutes at the beginning of the day and a brief examination of conscience at the end of the day.

2. Don’t overwhelm yourself

When we get excited about something, often times our natural reaction is to make grand plans which typically end up being something unrealistic and beyond our reach. It is important to have a vision and goal for where we want to be but it is also important to set up realistic steps to get there. The call of Jesus is a life-long process. It is certainly hard and outside of our comfort zone.However, at the same time the Lord calls us to be prudent and to listen to Him with a discerning heart.

3. Keep your eyes always of Christ

When we follow Christ, it can be easy to look around and be lured off the path. It is important for us to keep our eyes fixed on Him…literally! Surround yourself with Jesus. Some good ways to do this can be keeping a Bible in your room, carrying a rosary with you, and setting time each week to visit the Lord in Eucharistic Adoration, Mass, and occasional reception of Reconciliation. The more we look to Christ, the easier it is to see where we are going.

Our response to God is one of faith. It is a process and a number of times during this process we fall and begin to sink. However, our Lord never abandons us and never stops calling. As we go through life, let us call upon the grace of Jesus to take that second step, as well as the third and the fourth so that just as Peter, we too may continue to grow and respond to the call of the Lord to become great.