Monday Meditation: His Final Days, Part 4: A shocking denial
Poor Peter! Such good intentions! Such deeply felt love for Jesus and passion to please him! Yet so impulsive, so quick to speak before thinking, so often missing what Jesus wanted. So often failing, in spite of himself, to follow through on what he did understand.
Isn’t it intriguing that Jesus had such big plans for Peter, despite his obvious weakness?
And isn’t it encouraging to believe God has a mission for each of us, despite how often we don’t live up to our good intentions?
Imagine the times Peter could have looked back on his life and said, “I should have.”
“I should have kept my eyes on Jesus instead of the waves heaving the boat behind me.”
“I should have kept my mouth shut instead of trying to tell Jesus how to supplement the miracle on the mountain.”
“I should have kept my distance after Jesus was arrested. I should have known I’d be in danger there, too. I should have realized I wouldn’t know how to deal with the pressure.”
Caregivers pepper their weeks with “I should have,” too.
No matter how many precautions we take, our loved one falls.
No matter how hard we work to prevent spills, our loved one finds new ways to make a mess.
No matter how we compensate for every weakness, most days contain at least one difficult moment.
“I should have started sooner.”
“I should have anticipated.”
“I should have remembered.”
And sometimes our reactions deny our claim to trust God. “I know—I KNOW!—it isn’t her fault. I should have known getting angry only makes things worse.”
Jesus wasn’t surprised by Peter’s failure. Indeed, he predicted it.
And God isn’t shocked when our caregiving is flawed. Instead, he invites us to keep at it as he provides us all we need to continue with this assignment.
After Peter’s profound failure, Jesus gave him a mandate to serve. “Feed my sheep,” the resurrected Jesus told him.
And at the end of each day and the beginning of each week, he whispers to us, “Love that person in your household the way I love them, too.” He knows no one can serve them any better than we can.
Read: Mark 14:66-72
Pray: Forgive us, Lord, if our actions deny the commitment to you we hold dear. Help us, Lord, with the strength to complete this caregiving mission you’ve given us.
Illustration copyright Classic Bible Art. For information about securing beautiful art like this in books to read and cherish, click here. And click here to find a list of places where you can see many pieces of this art free, framed, and ready for you to enjoy. Some art in this series is available for license at Goodsalt.com.