Oh Peter.
Whenever I read about Apostle Peter’s escapades in the Bible, I can’t help but smile. Mainly because I identify so much with him. In contemporary speak, he would totes be my homeboy. Bro, even.
Why, you ask? Well, one minute he is on fire for the Lord, pledging his allegiance and swearing he will follow him no matter what, even to death… Then a few hours later Peter has denied Jesus three times before the rooster crowed.
Peter jumps out of the boat to walk on the water, things are going great, faith is strong– then he takes his eyes off the Lord and starts to sink.
I’ve had a lot of conversations with fellow Christians, and many believe that if they cannot be 100% consistent following Christ, that it is almost not even worth giving it a shot. (I’ve been there, done that… Which is probably why it took me a solid two decades to start legit following Him).
Dear friends, that’s where grace comes in. I am just like Peter– motivated, impulsive, jumping out of the boat with incredible confidence… Then I get distracted and start to sink.
In those moments of “failure” when I take my eyes off God, when my mouth shoots off towards my husband, when I am excessively sharp with my kids, when my heart judges someone without a second thought– God doesn’t give up on me. He doesn’t write me off or let me sink to the bottom of the lake.
Just like Peter, He reaches out His hand and pulls us back to the surface. Peter denied him (three times!), yet he was still the Rock on which Christ built his church. THAT is grace.
Our Father isn’t asking for perfection… He’s looking for continued growth and progress in our hearts and lives as we follow Him.
So don’t listen to the lie that if we can’t get it right every time, we might as well not try. Follow Him wholeheartedly, with passion as we focus on God’s grace, knowing with full confidence that when we have a “Peter moment,” God will be right there to pull us back in the boat.
“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” ~1 Peter 5:10
