Cowboy writer Curt Brummett likes to tell how proud he felt the day his father gave him his first real rope. All young cowboys dream of owning their own rope, which they can use to rope steer. As his father tied the rope into a lasso, he gave Curt one important piece of advice, "Never . . . put it on anything you can't get it off of."

That evening, company came by for coffee. Curt and his little sister were playing in another room. He was trying to rope her feet as she ran by. She retaliated by tying a knot in his rope. He decided that next time she came through the room, he would catch her for sure. A few minutes later, the kitchen door opened. Curt, hiding behind the door, swung out his lasso. It landed firmly around a single female foot. He gave the rope a tug. The next thing he heard was a tremendous crash. Curt peeked around the door to see that he had just roped his mother by the foot. She had been carrying a tray loaded with coffee cups and coffee. That evening, Curt's mother cut up his brand-new rope into little, tiny pieces. And his father's only words of comfort were, "I told you not to put that rope on anything you couldn't get it off of."

That's good advice. There is a place for caution in the Christian life. There are risks we should not take. Anything that endangers our relationship with God, anything that endangers our relationship with those we love, anything that endangers our emotional, physical and spiritual health must be handled with greatest care. Still, that is not the problem for most followers of Christ. Most of us are like those other disciples with Peter that night - we're content to hold on to the safety of the boat.