Hey, Carpool crew. Happy Saturday. I'm Pastor Justin, and I hope your weekend is off to a great start. So maybe you've seen that rope in the middle of the pool, the one with the floats on it. On one side, you can stand up easily, and on the other, your feet do not touch. That's the deep end, and all of your friends are already over there doing cannonballs. Yeah, we've all been there, and they're a lot of fun. But let's jump in with the one thing I want you to remember for the ride. Brave is going in still shaking. Now, listen to this from Matthew chapter fourteen, verse twenty-nine. He said, "Come." And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus. Now here's what's going on. The disciples are in a boat on a lake. It is very early in the morning, and the wind is against them. Then they see Jesus walking toward them on the water. They're terrified. They think he's a ghost, and Jesus says, "Have courage. It is I. Don't be afraid." Peter says, "Lord, if it's you, command me to come to you on the water." And Jesus says one word, "Come." So Peter climbs out of the boat with the wind still blowing, and he walks on the water toward Jesus. Then the Bible tells us what happened next. Peter looks at how strong the wind is, and he gets afraid. He starts to sink. He yells, "Lord, save me." And right away, Jesus reaches out his hand and grabs him. I want you to notice two things. Peter didn't wait for the wind to stop before he got out of the boat. And when he got scared in the middle of it and started going down, Jesus was close enough to catch him. That's what brave looks like. It isn't waiting for the scared to leave. It's going toward Jesus while you're still shaking a little and knowing that He's right there if you need Him. See, maybe it's the deep end of the pool. Maybe it's the diving board. Maybe it's raising your hand when you're not sure what the answer is. Maybe it's the first practice with a new team or riding your bike without training wheels. The scared probably isn't gonna leave first. You go anyway. Now, hey, this weekend, here's a couple things you could try. First, go ask your parent or whoever brought you to come stand right at the edge and say, "I'm gonna try it. Stay right there," and go in once. And then jump in. Your feet are gonna stop touching. That part is real. You might even go under for a second, but a grown-up is right there if you need them. And before you go, you can tell Jesus the truth in five words, "I'm scared, and I'm going." Now let's go back to the one thing I wanted you to remember for the ride. Brave is going in still shaking. Remember, no matter where you are or how you're listening, God loves you. And parents, if your kids have been loving the podcast, would you go over and leave a rating or a review on Apple or Spotify? It would really help us out, and it helps other families discover the podcast too. Now before you go, let's answer this question together. What's something you did while you were still scared? And how did it feel an hour later? I'll see you tomorrow on Carpooling With Jesus.
