It's 10:50 p.m. I am currently sitting in bed, eating a slice of vegan cheesecake, topped with muscadine jam. It is now 1 hour and 6 minutes until this article is due.

Today I have taught a fitness class, zoomed home to shower, fought traffic across McFarland to barely make it in time for my shift at my brand new full time job at Manna Grocery (praise the Lord), learned about arthritis, gout and what supplements to take to help alleviate those issues, where the cranberry juice is, and that I shouldn't say "Have a nice day!" to customers because some of the people that come in have really not had a nice day (maybe because they just found out they have cancer, or they are chronically depressed, or they had a miscarriage).

I zoomed back home to change out of work clothes and into all black attire and startlingly white Nikes (my favorite type of outfit), lead worship at our church's college night Midweek (which was amazing), and ran through the Taco Bell drive-thru to grab a 7-layer burrito (no cheese, no sour cream) for my dinner. That's when I ended up here.

This is how many of my days look recently. Jam-packed, no pun intended. Awake early and to bed late. Learning a lot. Meeting a lot of new people. Going going going going. It can become really overwhelming. It can, and will, turn your social life into coming home at the end of the day and pouring yourself a glass of wine, turning on an episode of Friends, and falling asleep while you watch it. It can make you forget to do the laundry, to pick up cat litter, or to call your mom.

There is a scripture that I think we can all relate to in times like this. It's in Matthew 14:22-23, and it's the story where the disciples are in a boat out on a big lake when a huge storm comes up with the wind and waves howling around them. They are so terrified of the storm, that when Jesus, finally appearing after having been praying by Himself on the mountain side, is seen walking toward them on the water, the disciples don't even recognize Him. They think He's a ghost.

Jesus tells them that it's Him, and not to be afraid. Peter, probably trying to act tough in front of the other guys, basically dares Jesus, telling Him to prove it's really Him by calling him out on the water with Him. But then of course, Jesus only turns its back around, and dares Peter to do it.

So Peter, not being able to back down now in front of his boys, climbs over the side of the boat and steps onto the water. He doesn't sink. He walks on the water. That is crazy. But that isn't where the story ends. Peter starts out looking at Jesus, eyes trained on Him as he walks out on the waves. But then he starts to lose focus, and begins to see the wind whipping the water, and the water whipping the sky, and then he starts to sink. He cries out to Jesus to save him as he slips deeper into the water.

I love what happens next. It says "Jesus doesn't hesitate." Immediately, Jesus reaches out and grabs Peter by the hand, pulling him up. I like to imagine this next scene. Jesus and Peter are still on the water, probably in an embrace, the wind and waves still thrashing around them, the rest of the disciples still back in the boat watching intently, biting their nails.

But in this moment, to Jesus, it's just Him and Peter. And He says to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?"

I relate to this now because, with everything that's going on in my day to day life, it's so easy to lose focus on what matters most. The wind and waves, ie. work, school, family, friends, even things at church can pull my attention away from Jesus and distract me from just spending time seeking His face. Sometimes it can make me go days without even talking to Him

Imagine if you did that to you significant other or your spouse. Imagine going days without talking to them, and then when things get to be too much for you, calling them for help. Do you know what kind of response you would probably get? Probably something along the lines of "Why in the world would I help you? You haven't even bothered to return my calls."

But Jesus doesn't act that way. I've found in all the times in my life when I've drifted away from Him, that when I finally, finally turn to call on His name, His response is always the same.

He doesn't hesitate.

In the end of the story, most people might think that Jesus is reprimanding Peter for doubting Him. I would first like to point out that with little faith, Peter walked on water. You do not have to have it all together to take a step towards God. The way I see it, Jesus isn't reprimanding Peter. He's saying "I've been here all along. I always have been and always will be, you can trust in Me. You know this Peter, have I ever failed you? You can trust me."

So, if you are tired and worn out, if the wind and waves of life get to be to much for you, if you are sad or lonely or feel like you're not good enough, pull your attention to Jesus' face. Call on Him.

He won't hesitate to pull you close.