As Peter fixed his eyes on Jesus, he walked on the water towards Him. But then his eyes lost their focus and all he saw were the roaring waves surrounding him, ready to swallow him up. And he sank in fear… He cried out, “Save me, Lord! ” (Matthew 14:22-34)
Jesus graciously stretched out His hand and rescued him. Even though he doubted. And He will do the same for us, even when we become faint of heart. Jesus never holds our lack of trust against us. He rescues us anyway.
All the chaos and pain in this world can be overwhelming. Every moment is uncertain, and we can tremble for what will happen next. All we can do is to take one small step at a time. Small steps of faith, not without fear, but in spite of fear. Keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus.
Sometimes we will slip and slide and fall wounded. Sometimes fear sinks us. In desperation, we cry out for help. Jesus always hears us in the deepest way. He already knows every part of each of our stories. He knows our insecurities and what triggers us to panic. He is always ready to give us His full, undivided attention. He reaches out with compassion for the hurting, for those overwhelmed by pain and sinking in the storms of life. He reaches down and longs for us to take His hand. Pulling us up and reviving us with His life-giving hope. Again and again.
When the storms of life flood our hearts
Pulling us down, down, down
Sinking us into the depths of despair
Where our courage crashes
And our breath is cut off
And we think all hope is lost
Give us grace, O Lord,
To fix our eyes only on You
To grab onto Your faithfulness
To Your hand ever reaching out to us
Breathe Your life-giving breath
Into our fainting hearts
Revive our sinking spirits
To hope in You alone
Help us, Lord, as we walk this journey
To keep a firm hold onto Your hand
Your loving and compassionate hand
That we may walk on the water with You
Until we reach the safe shore of eternity
“If God hadn’t been there for me,
I never would have made it.
The minute I said, ‘I’m slipping, I’m falling,’
Your love, GOD, took hold and held me fast.
When I was upset and beside myself,
You calmed me down and cheered me up.”
Psalm 94:17-19 MSG
“That’s right. Because I, your GOD,
have a firm grip on you and I’m not letting go.
I’m telling you, ‘Don’t panic.
I’m right here to help you.’”
Isaiah 41:13 MSG
“When struck by fear, I let go,
depending securely upon You alone.”
Psalm 56:3 VOICE
“Waves are rising.
Fear is knocking at my door.
I hear the wind.
My heart is shaking.
Faith feels fragile.
Hope feels torn.
Then a voice cuts through the darkness,
calling softly through the storm.
Do not fear. I am with you.
Lift your eyes. You’re not alone.
Every step feels so uncertain.
Every doubt is screaming loud.
But I fix my eyes on Jesus…”
Nature Retreat
I love this real-life story my brother John caught on camera.
Grebes dive for their food and are very territorial, especially of a nesting area.
Check out All About Birds for some interesting facts and to hear their calls.
All About Birds’ Cool Facts about Soras.
These burrowing owls are so cute!
Freed to Fly 
Great pictures!
I love Lauren Daigle.
Thank you for today’s post.
Blessings~
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You’re welcome, RobbyeFaye. 🙂 And thank you for the blessings! I love Lauren Daigle, too. Both her voice and her songs. Love and blessings of hope in Jesus!
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Oh, those burrowing owls are so cute! It’s amazing that they can live in the ground like that. Nature is wonderful. Thank you for your beautiful message. I love the Psalms you shared. He calms me down and He cheers me up…Amen!
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Yes, nature is wonderful, Lynn! It never ceases to amaze me how uniquely God creates each of His creatures! I love that Message version, too. Love and blessings of calming peace and hope in Jesus!
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Your posts always inspire and uplift me, Trudy, and this one is no exception. Thanks for reminding me that God is right there with us always and will rescue us when we call to Him. Your brother’s photos are amazing, too, and I enjoyed seeing those cute burrowing owls. God’s creation is full of wonder! Blessings!
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I’m so grateful you get inspired and uplifted here, Martha. Thank you for your kind words. I sometimes think of how awesome it must be for you to live in the midst of lots of trees. Do I remember correctly that you sometimes see deer? Love and blessings of God’s rescuing love! I know you and your husband are dealing with a lot of struggles.
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Yes, we still see lots of deer, Trudy. In fact, I saw six just this morning! Yes, we’ve had lots of issues, but are trusting the Lord to see us through them all. Blessings!
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💕🙏
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This spoke to me today, Trudy: “All we can do is to take one small step at a time. Small steps of faith, not without fear, but in spite of fear.” I’m thankful God’s firm grip holds us fast, come what may. I was glad to see this post from you in my inbox this week, dear friend.
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I’m so glad this spoke to you, Lois. It’s such a comfort that we’re in God’s firm grip and He will NEVER let us go. 💕 I have to remind myself that so often. Love and blessings of further healing and strength for each moment!
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Oh Trudy thank you so much for sharing these precious thoughts and photos today. What a gift that blessed me so much today. And the Lauren Daigle song brought tears to my eyes. He is with us holding our hands. Thank you for your beautiful poem also, Trudy. May the Lord pour His blessings on you today dear sister. ❤️🙏❤️
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Aww, Bettie, that’s so kind of you to tell me you were blessed here. I am blessed to have you in my life. Your testimonies of God’s faithfulness through your continuing struggles always strengthen my heart. Love and blessings of hanging onto God’s hand of love and compassion!
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Yes we fix our eyes upon Jesus & ‘look full into HIs wonderful face & the things of the earth grow strangely dim in the light of His glory & grace’, that old hymn has come to mind a few times lately Trudy. Your post has prompted it again.
The photo of the bird attack from below is such an analogy, we don’t often see the enemy coming for us as he often attacks suddenly & giving a low peck, especially when we’re going about our normal day!
Blessings, Jennifer
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Oh, I love that hymn, Jennifer! It comes to my mind sometimes, too, and is such a comfort. And your analogy about the enemy’s sneaky attacks is so true. Thank you. Love and blessings of strength for each moment!
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Thank you Trudy. 😊
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His hands, leading us to what are God’s wishes…
As humans, we go as you do Trudy, believing life as it is precious to the Creator of all.
Shared a great video, the one with the owls, you did it. Dear God would appreciate us to live in
community so graciously. The music was perfect to this owls video. All you
write and post too.
Nice days in God ways.
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“His hands, leading us to what are God’s wishes…” So true, Amvn. So true also how those owls teach us to live graciously in community. Thank you for pointing that out. Love and blessings of nice days in God’s ways to you, too!
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Dear Trudy. I’m listening to Lauren Daigle’s song as I respond to you. Yes, yes, let’s walk on the water with our eyes on Jesus. The Author and Finisher of our faith. He will see us through. Thankfully.
I hope you are warm and cozy, peaceful and quiet this Monday morning. Such a pleasure to spend this time with you, dear one.
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Yes, He will see us through! That’s such a comfort, isn’t it? As I type this I am snuggled under my warm and cozy blanket in my recliner. 🙂 It’s always a pleasure to connect with you, too, Linda! Love and blessings of keeping our eyes on Jesus!
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Such an inspiring post, Trudy! Such hope we have in Christ, and I loved the pictorial story of the ducks. Nature has so much to teach us! Blessings to you!
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Thank you, Marilyn. Yes, that hope we have in Christ is priceless, isn’t it? I love, too, how much nature has to teach us! Your nature photos are always refreshing to my soul! Love and blessings to you!
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