FAILURES

…be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. I Corinthians 15:58

Ever felt like you just blew it? You’ve just ruined everything? Or, at least, your brilliant scheme has just come to naught? What must Peter have felt when he knew he had done exactly what Jesus predicted – he’d denied his best friend, his Lord and Savior. Worst of all, Jesus heard him do it. He turned and looked at Peter, and Peter left his presence weeping bitterly. In Jesus’ greatest hour of need, Peter failed.

Who hasn’t fallen short of expectations? Who hasn’t deeply disappointed himself? Perhaps it’s a relationship, a work assignment, a missed goal, something really significant—we’ve all done it. We’ve failed at one time or another. You may just now be overwhelmed by failure.

Peter wept; he sought out the company of his friends; and he retreated to what was comfortable for him – he went fishing. But the important thing is not what Peter did; it’s what Jesus did. He had a plan for Peter, and as soon as he was resurrected, he opened a path for reconciliation, not condemnation. “Do you love me?” he asked Peter, not once but three times. Never a word of disparagement. He saw Peter’s heart, his brokenness, and knew that here was a man he could use. No more would Peter be identified by his impetuosity and no more would he rely on his cleverness or personality. All self-reliance was gone. From that point on he would rely on Jesus and become “steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord…”

All because he had failed…and been restored.

Father, accept our failures, our poor judgments, our mistakes and transform them into a culture of total dependence on you so that in success and failure all that shines through is Jesus. Amen.