Yes...but...
This big ole world can chew us up and spit us right back out sometimes. Life can get challenging, situations can be overwhelming and we can get pretty down, not just emotionally but down on ourselves: for not being better, stronger or just…more.
Why is it we tend to look around us and feel that other people do it better, are more educated, and are better looking, or thinner, or more…everything than we are? It’s the age-old question we ask ourselves somewhere deep inside…why am I such a screw up? I’m not as good as other people at…”fill in the blank. “
I feel like there are people reading this today and you are struggling. Fighting an unseen force that is pulling you down. You want to feel better about yourself but you don’t know how. We all have those days, sometimes we have far too many of these days and it can get overwhelming. But I was reading in Johns gospel and I saw something that we ALL need to realize…we all step in it and can make a mess of things BUT there is always hope…
In John 18 Jesus had been arrested by the Roman guard. Peter and another disciple had followed to where he was taken. In the course of the evening Peter was recognized and he adamantly denied even knowing Jesus. Jesus had said to Peter earlier in Luke 22:34, “But Jesus said, “Peter let me tell you something. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.” So it stands to reason that when Peter heard that crow his heart sank in realization of what he had done.
Have you ever had that feeling? You knew that you knew you blew it and the regret in your heart was palpable. This is where the enemy likes to come to us and take advantage of our vulnerability to say we are no good, we have made a mess now. There is no going back; you will never get past this. In our regret we can feel like believing his lies and labeling ourselves…UNWORTHY.
But is that the truth? Lets look at John 21…Jesus has risen from the dead and has been appearing periodically to his disciples over the course of 40 days. One day Peter was a little fed up with everything and says, ”I’m going fishing.” He was just going to go back to what he was “before” because obviously he wasn’t worthy to be an Apostle now (emphasis mine).
He and several other of the disciples fished all night and caught nothing. In the morning Jesus is standing on the beach cooking breakfast and invites them to join him. Then he asks Peter an interesting question…in John 21:15,16, 17, “Peter DO YOU LOVE ME?” He asks him three times…once for every time Peter had denied him…ouch. But why was Jesus asking him that?
What stood out to me was this…Jesus never mentioned Peter’s denial of him, or how he had screwed up and abandoned Jesus. Which was a pretty big boo boo. He never addresses what Peter did wrong. Even when Mary met him at the tomb after his resurrection in Mark 16, Jesus tells her, “Go and tell the disciples AND PETER…Jesus makes sure that Peter knows he wants him, he’s including him and he hasn’t been forsaken because of what he did. God doesn’t look at our mistakes. It’s never about our sin or how bad we acted. He just wants us to know in our heart of hearts DO YOU LOVE ME?
He tells Peter after each time he asks him, THEN “feed me sheep” or then go do what I’ve called you to do. It happened now move on. Grace always pulls us up to another level. Love always wins over our sin. Jesus isn’t concerned about what we DID but about what are we going to do now? The past cannot be changed but the future is yet to be written.
So whatever mistake is pulling any of us down today, whatever we believe is keeping us from moving forward understand that it isn’t bigger than God’s grace to cover it. We need to move forward. Let’s go and DO what he’s called us to do understanding the grace we have been given and then extend that grace to others.
God your grace is amazing. Your love for us is without limits. Help us Holy Spirit to forgive ourselves and move forward knowing you have new mercies every morning and plans for us that are better than any plan we have for ourselves. Help us to let it go…let your blood wash away all of our mistakes and fear and bring us into all that you have for us…..in Jesus name…
(Next week I will be talking about depression…if you struggle in this area be sure to check out the Blog and invite others you know who struggle in this area to join us.)