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PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, teach me to take risks without worrying about whether everything will work out a certain way. Amen!

The Apostles were in a boat when they saw Jesus walking across the water toward them! Peter yelled, "If that's really you, tell me to come to you." "Come," Jesus said. Peter jumped out and walked on the water to Jesus - but got scared and sank. Jesus caught him and said, "You don't have much faith. Why did you doubt?" He brought Peter to the boat, and all the Apostles worshipped Jesus.

Are you brave? Some kids leap into any new challenge. Either they're not scared or they pretend not to be!

Being brave, though, really means feeling afraid but doing something anyway. If you're in a new place and an adult says, "Look, there are some other kids; go play with them," it might take time to work up your courage. When you do go over and say, "Hi. Can I play?" you feel very brave. You're taking a risk!

This week's Gospel (Matthew 14:22-33) is about bravery and taking risks. When the Apostles see Jesus walking on water, Peter acts like a brave kid: He yells over to Jesus and then plunges in, trusting that Jesus will help him walk on water, too.

If you ask kids to play, you don't know how it will turn out. You might make new friends, but there's always the chance they'll say no. Since you're a stranger to them, they might even be afraid of you! The important thing is not to panic. You ask and wait for an answer. If they say no, you can go play somewhere else.

Peter had a different experience than he expected. He bravely started to walk on water with Jesus' help, but then he panicked and went under. Peter remembered to take the risk, but he forgot to put his worries aside. If he had kept trusting in Jesus, it would have worked out fine -- just like it works out for you when you ask kids to play without worrying too much about whether they'll say yes. Trust God and try it![[In-content Ad]]

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