This teen girl schools us …

You’ve spent time with a friend and, upon going your own way, you turn and say “Take care!”

We say it often …

“Good to see you again, take care!”

“Look forward to seeing you again, take care!”

“Hope things go well for you, take care!”

“Take care” seems to roll off our tongues and out our mouths without much consideration of what we’re really saying.

The problem most people have isn’t in “taking care.” Looking after our comfort, guarding against challenges, and keeping things as smooth as possible are commonplace for most people. We’re good at “taking care.”

But the results of “taking care” are often disappointing. Maybe we keep from rocking the boat, but we don’t get far from the dock either. Persistently “taking care” keeps us from a greater engagement in life. It results in our playing it safe, which is a fast way of losing out on our greatest dreams in life.

Instead of encouraging each other with “take care,” we would do better to challenge each other to “take a risk,” “go for it,” “give it a try,” “rethink things,” or any number of ways we can positively challenge each other to really, truly, fully engage in living life.

You cannot do that simply by “taking care.”

That’s a lesson 16-year-old Abby Sunderland has already learned.

People around the world are listening to the news today awaiting the rescue of Sunderlund who is now adrift all alone in the Indian Ocean. Abby set sail in her family’s 40-foot yacht on January 23 to capture the world record of being the youngest person to sail solo around the world (a record briefly held by her then 17-year-old brother last year). She soon ran into equipment problems and had to stop for repairs. She gave up the goal of setting the record in April, but instead of “taking care” she continued on her journey. She recently ran into more trouble as her boat faced 30-foot waves in the Indian Ocean. The result was a broken mast, leaving her adrift and in need of rescue.

Much of the discussion surrounding Sunderlund is the wisdom of her parents allowing someone so young to take on such a monumental challenge alone. With that issue aside, what I find truly impressive is the courage and zeal for living that Abby displays. When you think of the “average” teen girl in Southern California, you don’t usually think of someone so adventurous, so courageous, so skilled, that she would face the rigors of sailing a 40-foot boat all alone around the world. Regardless of your take on her story, Abby isn’t one to sit and watch life go by.

Instead of “taking care,” she’s taking a risk to live out her dream. That 16-year-old girl is already displaying more raw courage than many of us will ever demonstrate in our lifetimes.

Long before Abby found herself in trouble in her boat, the disciples of Jesus had their own challenge with a raging storm. In Matthew 14, we read about the disciples struggling against strong winds and fighting heavy waves as they attempted to cross to the other side of the lake. In the middle of the storm, they spot Jesus walking on the water toward them. At first they were frightened that they were seeing a ghost. Jesus called out to them to calm their fears. That’s when Peter spoke up, and we read the following account in Matthew 14:28-31:

“28 Then Peter called to him, ‘Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.’ 29 ‘Yes, come,’ Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. ‘Save me, Lord!’ he shouted. 31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. ‘You have so little faith,’ Jesus said. ‘Why did you doubt me?'”

Many focus on Peter’s failure by sinking in the water when he let his fears get the best of him. But that’s missing a big part of the story. Instead of “taking care,” instead of playing it safe and staying in the boat like the others did, Peter engaged. He stepped out of the boat in the midst of a storm when he didn’t have to. Walking on water wasn’t the only way to verify it was really Jesus he was seeing. But Peter took a risk.

Among all the men who made that trip in the boat that night, who’s faith do you think grew the most? Of them all, Peter would best understand what is really possible if, by faith and by keeping our eyes on Jesus, we do more than “take care” but actually step out of the boat and take courage.

In your journey in life, are you “taking care” or taking courage? Are you clinging to the boat, or stepping out of it to walk with Jesus on the waters of life?

Scotty