Peter Gives Me Hope

There are some days and weeks when I’m more grateful than usual that God doesn’t expect me to be perfect to receive His love.

Remembering that I don’t have to have it all together before He can use me to encourage, or support, or walk with my friends through life’s frustrations.

He expects me to show up as I am – and He meets me.
And then He shows me how to love others in his perfect way.

Peter is the guy that makes me smile when I think about this.
You gotta’ love him.

He’s one of the 12 people Jesus chose to be in his inner circle – his disciples – his world-changers.  Pretty cool group to be a part of, uh?

Peter – so passionate.  Expressive. Emotional.
Not perfect. Not proper. Not the pretty box tied up with a pretty bow who has it all figured out.

Peter cuts off the right ear of one of the men who came to take Jesus away to be killed.
Yet he abandons Jesus when things really get rough and denies knowing him.  Perhaps afraid of what people might think of him?
He speaks before he thinks; acts before he considers.

I even think Peter’s a bit out-of-shape…and that makes me like him even more.
In John 20 it says, “So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.”

I think it’s funny that the foot race was even mentioned.
And even funnier…the writer of those words, John, was “the other disciple.”  Probably didn’t want to make Peter look bad, do you think?

Peter probably arrived huffing and puffing – not wanting to miss a thing and wanting to tell everyone about it…once he caught his breath.

And then, later, Jesus asks him three times if he loves him.
The chance for Peter to move beyond his denials and guilt.
He does the right thing.

And all of Peter’s passion and commitment and desire to be who God wants him to be comes alive.

I get it.

Where do I mess up?
In how I love people.
I’m not always patient and kind.
I can get envious of others when I look at my own limitations.
And you mess with my family or my friends – anger comes a bit too easily.

And yet…
God loves me.
Just as I am.

Peter didn’t have his act together.
Jesus knew that.
He called him anyway.

I don’t have my act together.
Jesus knows that.
He calls me anyway.

 

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