Our faith is not just for us to hold in the safety zone of our churches and homes. Jesus wants us to meet Him out in the world, but to do so we need to keep our eyes on, and our faith in, Him. Too often we end up like Peter when we are out in the world. We allow ourselves to get caught up in the chaos that surrounds us and lose our focus.
The priest today said that it's not just the bad things in the world that draw our attention and time, but even the pleasant and entertaining aspects. Whether we focus on the negative aspects of the world or we spend all of our focus on our own pleasures, we are still losing our focus on Him and we fall into the water. With the millions of things floating around my mind lately, I can attest that I tend to let myself sink into the chaos rather than rise above it.
On the subject of entertaining distractions, Connor turned ten years old today. He told me several times today that he had a great birthday. He got presents that he enjoyed, got to spend time with friends, and even went swimming. It's amazing how fast he has grown up. Yet, in some ways, it's hard for me to believe that he's only ten.