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A few nights ago, I spent the night at my extended family’s camp on Boyd Lake. In the morning, the lake was like glass. I grabbed the kayak and headed out onto the water, all by myself. I always love the idea of going for a kayak ride, but I’m rarely at a lake early in the morning or in the evening, which are typically the best times to go. So that day, I went. And it was beautiful. I enjoyed every moment of the calm, peaceful waters. I paddled down to a cove, watching and listening to the array of birds singing the morning away.

As I paddled back to the camp, I thought about the safety of the lake. The lake is calm, most of the time. Sure, there are storms. But the majority of the time, if you are out on a lake, you can see the storm coming in enough time to get back to shore. The lake is contained. It has boundaries. Eventually, if you paddle long enough, you’ll reach another shore.

Yesterday we spent the day with my sister and brother-in-law at Acadia National Park. The ocean is entirely different from a lake. It can be calm at times, but it is always moving. The tide is always there – coming in and going out. The Atlantic ocean crashing against Maine’s rocky coast is incredible. It’s beauty is immeasurable. The water is clear, full of power and life.

A few weeks ago, I was in Guatemala, sitting beside the Pacific Ocean. The ocean, while beautiful, is also powerful, even dangerous, at times. The waves at the beach where we stayed were powerful enough to pull someone right out to sea – we were warned many times not to go swimming. The ocean can be scary. If you head out on the ocean, you may soon be in a place where you see no shorelines at all. If a storm comes, you may not make it to shore in time to be safe.

So back to the lake. The morning I was paddling on the safe, calm waters of the lake, I felt God speaking to me. I’ve been reading the book, “Anything” by Jennie Allen, and doing the Bible study with my amazing group of friends.

I felt God telling me, it’s time to get out on the ocean. Time to leave the safety and the confines of the lake, and paddle out onto the ocean.

This is the challenge of praying Anything. When you pray, “God, I will do anything”, it’s like saying, “Lord, I’m ready to leave my safe, comfortable, familiar life on this lake. I’m ready to be on the ocean, where You lead me, even if the storms are severe, and the damage may be high. Even if I lose everything, Lord, I’m ready.”

I’m ready to leave the safety of the lake, even the harbor – are you?