My purpose for creating this website is to offer a voice of understanding, hope and healing to those many, many souls who have been devastated by the demise of their eternal marriage. It is a witness of how the Atonement of Jesus Christ applies to disappointment, betrayal, infidelity, heartbreak, abandonment and divorce. It is a place where you can find inspiration, tools and practical ideas to help you build your faith and remember who you are.
The title is taken from the story of Peter, who was able to walk on water when his eyes were fixed upon Christ. It was only when he was distracted by the wind and waves and his own self-consciousness, that he began to doubt—and thus, sink. Peter’s example can be a metaphor for us and our experiences through the turbulent circumstances of divorce.
There are so many natural forces working against our faith and trust in God. It is so easy to drown in the sea of self-pity, resentment, bitterness and blame. There are fierce winds attacking from all sides, creating boisterous waves of anger, deception, criticism, rebellion and worldly philosophies of how to cope. There is the natural pull of gravity in heavy emotions such as depression, shame, hopelessness and despair. In such conditions, it seems impossible to rise above the situation. And yet, that is exactly what the Savior admonishes us:
“With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.” (Mark 10:27)
“I am the way, the truth, and the life….” (John 14:6)
“Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
And unto Peter, He simply held out His hand and said, “Come.” (Matthew 14:29)
With an intense focus on the Savior, even a surrender and submission to Him, I testify that we can symbolically walk on water as our very natures become changed through faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ. (see Mosiah 3:19)
At times, we may lose our concentration and begin to sink—and that is when we follow Peter’s example and cry out, “Lord, Save me!” And immediately, Jesus will stretch forth His hand and catch us. (Matt 14:31) In those moments, we can “just be held” in the “arms of a God who won’t let go.” (Just Be Held by Casting Crowns)
I testify of God’s grace and boundless love. Our precious Savior really did, “take upon him [our] infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, …that he may know according to the flesh how to succor [us] according to [our] infirmities” (Alma 7:12).
And I loudly declare the reassuring words of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland:
“Don’t you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead…. Trust God and believe in good things to come.” (Holland, October 1999)
The following is taken from an address given by President Howard W. Hunter at the October General Conference 1992, entitled, “The Beacon in the Harbor of Peace.”
“As Christ’s disciples had set out on one of their frequent journeys across the Sea of Galilee, the night was dark and the elements were strong and contrary. The waves were boisterous and the wind was bold, and these mortal, frail men were frightened. Unfortunately, there was no one with them to calm and save them, for Jesus had been left alone upon the shore.
“As always, he was watching over them. He loved them and cared for them. In their moment of greatest extremity, they looked and saw in the darkness an image in a fluttering robe, walking toward them on the ridges of the sea. They cried out in terror at the sight, thinking that it was a phantom that walked upon the waves. And through the storm and darkness to them—as so often to us, when, amid the darknesses of life, the ocean seems so great and our little boats so small—there came the ultimate and reassuring voice of peace with this simple declaration, “It is I; be not afraid.” Peter exclaimed, “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.” And Christ’s answer to him was the same as to all of us: “Come.”
“Peter sprang over the vessel’s side and into the troubled waves, and while his eyes were fixed upon the Lord, the wind might toss his hair and the spray might drench his robes, but all was well. Only when with wavering faith he removed his glance from the Master to look at the furious waves and the black gulf beneath him, only then did he begin to sink. Again, like most of us, he cried, “Lord, save me.”
“Nor did Jesus fail him. He stretched out his hand and grasped the drowning disciple with the gentle rebuke, “O thou of little faith, why didst thou doubt?”
“Then safely aboard their little craft, they saw the wind fall and the crash of the waves become a ripple. Soon they were at their haven, their safe port, where all would one day hope to be. The crew as well as his disciples were filled with deep amazement. Some of them addressed him by a title which I declare today: “Truly thou art the Son of God.”(Adapted from Farrar, The Life of Christ, pp. 310–13; see Matt. 14:22–33.)
“It is my firm belief that if as individual people, as families, communities, and nations, we could, like Peter, fix our eyes on Jesus, we too might walk triumphantly over “the swelling waves of disbelief” and remain “unterrified amid the rising winds of doubt.” But if we turn away our eyes from him in whom we must believe, as it is so easy to do and the world is so much tempted to do, if we look to the power and fury of those terrible and destructive elements around us rather than to Him who can help and save us, then we shall inevitably sink in a sea of conflict and sorrow and despair.
“At such times when we feel the floods are threatening to drown us and the deep is going to swallow up the tossed vessel of our faith, I pray we may always hear amid the storm and the darkness that sweet utterance of the Savior of the world:
“Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.” (Matt. 14:27.)
