When I was a child, my mother enrolled me in swimming lessons at the Family Y. I liked the feeling of the water around me. I learned to float, I learned to swim but I was afraid to go in the deep end of the pool where I could not touch the bottom.

One day I saw the other children throwing coins into the deep end of the pool. When the coin rested on the bottom, they would swim down and retrieve it. It looked like a lot of fun, but I couldn't play because I liked to stay were it was safe. But the other kids were having such a good time. I decided it was worth taking a risk and soon I joined in the play.

Taking a risk to go to the deep end of the pool was scary. The water was over my head and if I did not swim I could drown. But if I had not taken that risk, I would have missed out on a new game; I would have missed a whole aspect of playing in a pool.

Staying within our comfort zones in our spiritual lives can be just as limiting as the shallow end of the pool. It's the big tests in life that teach us how deep or how shallow our faith in God is.

Read Luke 5:1-11

After fishing all night with no catch to show for his hard work, Simon Peter obeys the call of Jesus. Even though Peter has called it a day, docked his boat, cleaned his nets and stretched his tired arms, he puts the boat out and casts his nets once more. He is rewarded with such a catch that another boat must come to his aid. He is amazed. His life has been made richer (literally) by faith.

Peter stepped into the deep end and Jesus changed his life. Will you step into the deep end and allow Jesus to change yours?

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Do you ever want to share your testimony or something God has done for you, but find yourself thinking, "they're not a Christian, they don't want to hear this...."?

I think that we tend to tip-toe around Christianity and bottle it up. It's not accepted to be excited about how God is moving in your life, unless you know that the person you are sharing things with happens to be a Christian and even then, you never know if they'll think you're a nut.

Jesus told his disciples in Luke 5 to go deeper. I think Jesus wants us to push the envelope and share our struggles and triumphs with friends and family. I tend to only share the good that God has done in my life, but do not include the valleys where He has walked with me and given me strength like no one else could.

When you think about witnessing and sharing with people remember that going out and living with them is the most important thing. You'll eventually get the opportunity to share your testimony, and even if you do not have the "right time", the love you can show speaks louder than words. Go out and build relationships and God will do the rest if you're willing to risk rejection and follow Him.

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Being a Jesus follower is a huge risk; in fact it's so big that it will cost you your life. Read Luke 5:1-11. In this scripture Jesus is telling Simon Peter to take a chance and trust him. Simon Peter found out very quickly that Jesus keeps his word. After this, Simon Peter leaves everything and follows Jesus. He left his job, his whole life. He took a risk, and because of it, his life was enhanced. Jesus taught Him how to become the person God designed him to be. He taught him to live his life to the fullest.

God has made us all for some purpose, and unless we take the risk of giving our life back to our creator, we will never know our true purpose in life. It all boils down to your faith. If you don't have faith that God has a purpose for you, then your purpose is completely worldly and gives no glory to God. And for those of you who say you have no faith, think about this: every day is a walk of faith at some level. When you get in an airplane, you have to have faith that the pilot knows what he's doing. When you eat at a restaurant, you have to have faith that your food isn't contaminated or poisoned (some more than others J). When you drop everything and follow Jesus, you have to have faith that he wants what is best for you and that he will take care of you, even if he asks you to do something crazy, like walk on water. God will not send you down a dead end and he will not tempt you. He just wants your trust, He just wants your faith.

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As children, we are taught a key difference between two words and the things they describe: shallow and deep. The word shallow, when shouted at us by our parents as we run toward the water, implies safety. There is nothing unknown or dangerous about shallow water. "Stay in the shallow end!" they desperately shout at us. The word deep, though, comes with a much different connotation. When parents say the word deep to their children, it is not intended to sound like an exciting or intriguing thing. It should sound dangerous, scary, and definitely not like somewhere little children want to go.

Once we grow older, those two words come to apply to other things in life as well, and we continue, many times, to hold on to those ideas of safety and danger our parents instilled in us as small children. This applies to our lives as Christians and our personal relationships with the Lord as much as it does to bodies of water. Whereas shallow water is a comfort zone for small children, a shallow relationship with God becomes acceptable and expected for adults. It is safe. There is not much challenge to be faced as we simply attend church once a week, drop a little bit of money in the offering plate, and go on with our lives as before. It is superficial, which - according to Dictionary.com - means apparent, external, and not real. It is, in a matter of speaking, a show. There is nothing deep about it. No danger or threat to our current lifestyles or ways of thinking. As we grow older, it is as though we tell ourselves to stay in the shallow end. "I'll be safe there. Nothing will have to change."

The opposite of a shallow relationship with Jesus would be one that is deep. It goes past the surface and into what is really there - the things that challenge us and force us to think. These are the things that convict us and show us where we need to change. When someone takes the risk of going into a deeper relationship with Jesus, the people around them become uncomfortable. They watch as their friend heads into something unknown and, to them, scary. "Come back!" they shout. "Don't go any further!"

Suddenly, we are faced with a decision. Something in us calls us to stay in the safety of a shallow relationship with Jesus.....while something in us lures us into deeper water. The voice within us calling us into the deeper unknown is that of Jesus. Suddenly, our Father doesn't want us to stay in the shallows. Suddenly, the shallows aren't good for us, and the deeper parts are better for us. "Come," He says. "Follow me into the unknown." Will we listen?

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One day I was having breakfast with a friend. We were talking about life in general when the conversation turned to issues of religion, faith, and spirituality. This is not a subject that I usually feel comfortable discussing, but for some reason I felt compelled to share my testimony. By opening up, I was able to offer guidance to someone who was struggling. This experience is an example of stepping out of my comfort zone. When Jesus told his disciples to put their nets into deep water (Luke 5:4), this is what He meant. If we consider ourselves Christians, this is what we need to do: share our faith.

In Luke 5, Jesus tells the disciples to cast out their nets into the deep water so that they could catch fish. He was using this example to illustrate a point as well: if we cast our net of faith outside the walls of the church, we can bring more people in to hear the word of God. We cannot afford to keep "fishing" in the shallow waters of others who mirror our beliefs. We must reach out to others who are struggling, hurt, lost, or feel rejected. This means that we must step out of our comfort zone, our circle of friends in the church community, and help others. Sometimes this is as simple as just listening. It could be relating a similar struggle and sharing an understanding, sympathetic viewpoint.

My challenge to all of us is that during the next week if an opportunity presents itself, we can be bold enough to take a risk, step out of our comfort zone, and cast our "net" into deeper water so that we can show the love of Jesus to someone who needs to experience it.

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