Don’t Rock the Boat.

 

There's a story in the New Testament part of the Bible about Jesus walking on the water, which is recorded in three different books: Matthew chapter 14, Mark 6, and John 6.

The story relates to the disciples in a boat when a storm comes. Then, they see Jesus walking towards them on top of the water. They, of course, think this must be a ghost and are even more afraid of him than they are of the storm.

The next thing that happens is that Peter, also in the boat, shouts to Jesus and says, “If it really is you, bid me come to you on the Water” Jesus responds with, “Come on, then.”  Peter then gets out of the boat and starts to walk towards Jesus – on the water.  Somewhat of a miracle, hey? But then the story continues; Peter looks down at his feet and the stormy waves and stares as they seem to sink into them.  Jesus puts out his hand and pulls him up, and then they both climb into the boat, and the storm ceases.

Now, I personally, in ‘church time’, have heard many preachers talk about Peter “not keeping his eyes on Jesus” and thus losing faith and therefore sinking into the sea.  To me, I have always thought, 'Hang on a minute, at least Peter got to walk on water. Wow!'  What about all the other eleven men who just stayed in the boat?  I think I would rather have had the experience of walking on water, even with a bit of sinking, than just to be one of the boat watchers.

So, why am I going on about this? Well, because just recently I was told that it is good not to, “rock the boat.” Nothing new; many times, I have been told that you should not, you cannot, this is not wise, keep your nose clean, and don’t rock the boat.

We used to own a double-decker bus; I was told that you need a special driving license to drive it. However, you can't do it. I toddled along to the police and asked if I could, and they said, “Is it a heavy goods vehicle?” My answer was “no.” Is it a public service vehicle where you will be charging fees? Again, my answer was “no.” Then, you can drive it; it’s a grey area. So, I asked, “What would you classify it as?” They answered, “It's a 90-seater car.” I am sure those regulations will have changed, so - check it out if you're buying one.

A friend of mine told me one day that the problem with the UK is the god they want to serve. I asked what that was, and he responded that it’s the god of safety and security.

The difficulty with that one is that there really is no confirmed safety and security. We take a risk every day; it’s a risk crossing the Road, going outside our house, and even being in the house. I am not saying we should be silly and take unnecessary risks or act out of stupidity. However, if you want to move forward, if you want to get somewhere, and if you are not satisfied with just being “a boring do-nothing”, then you will probably have to take a risk and rock the boat if you want to see change where things are wrong. You won't be able to keep your nose clean.  The easy answer is probably not the best answer.

I would rather have the experience of walking on the water than just sitting in the boat.  I would rather rock the boat than leave things as they are. I have discovered that taking risks brings many benefits.  In many areas of the world, we need change, and we will need to be bold and courageous to effect it. Let's rock those boats.

 

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Adrianhawkes.blogspot.co.uk

17 July 2025