Daily Devotional

The Disney classic Toy Story is a great movie about friendship. In the movie, Woody and Buzz are on quite an epic adventure next door at Sid's house. At one point, both characters find themselves trapped in positions with no way out. Buzz sees the situation as hopeless, yet when his friend needed him most, Woody saw an opportunity to challenge Buzz. The challenge was not aggressive or hostile; it was clear and direct, and it communicated in a way that showed how deeply he cared for his friend, as he invited Buzz to consider a new perspective.
 
When individuals truly care for one another, they know how to push each other for the better. And striving toward better sometimes includes either tough or uncomfortable conversations. We typically like our relationships to stay in the fun and simple category, but it's not always fun when someone challenges us on something we don't want to hear. However, the best kind of relationships are those that help each other become the best versions of ourselves as we journey together. Someone said to me recently, “The healthiest people I know have a small circle of folks that they can share anything with.”
 
As Jesus' disciples are in trouble, He comes walking on the water. They think they have seen a ghost. Then something interesting happens: Jesus accepts a challenge from Peter. To prove that it really was Jesus standing before them, Peter asks Jesus to allow him to walk on the water, too. Then, when Peter starts to flounder, Jesus presents a challenge to Peter. He asks the question why do you doubt?  At one point, Peter had all the faith in the world, which kept him above water, but when he thought about what was happening, his faith dissipated, and he began to sink. Peter first challenges Jesus to prove His identity by displaying His power. Jesus then takes the opportunity to challenge Peter to demonstrate his faith. When Peter followed and trusted Jesus, he ended up walking on water, an impossible achievement, but without faith, Peter sank. May we also accept challenges from the Master and from those we know truly care about us. When we do, we open ourselves up to new opportunities to grow into the best versions of ourselves as we put our faith in the Lord and all that He calls us to.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.