Father, today my strivings have come to fruition! I am officially a certified school bus driver! It has been a long time coming but I am so, so glad that it has been in Your time. May I be a vessel through whom Your presence flows onto all whom I encounter. Amen.
Matthew 26:69-75 (<<click to read the passage)
My mom is not a big fan of birds. When she was little she got chased by a chicken at her grandparent’s home and ever since then, she wants nothing to do with them.
I imagine Peter had similar feelings. It probably took quite some time for Peter to come to the point where hearing a rooster crow did not bring pangs of guilt. We learn from John’s Gospel that Jesus didn’t give Peter very much time to wallow in his misery but quickly reestablished their relationship. (John 21:15-19)
Lord, Peter, left to his own devices, returned to his life of fishing – until Your intervention. And only because You did intervene was Peter able to forgive himself and move on – becoming a great leader and example to others throughout the course of history to this day.
Only because You became part of the equation was a satisfactory solution found. How often, Lord, do we flounder about going over and over the errors of our ways, never allowing ourselves to release them but beating ourselves up about them in a neverending vicious cycle?
You know, Lord, You surely do. But do You want us to live that way? …No… If You have forgiven us, why would You want us to not forgive ourselves?
Every single one of us is guilty as the day is long. Romans 3:23 clearly states, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”
We must assuredly acknowledge that but we mustn’t linger there. We must move onward and upward. We must shake loose the chains that want to entangle us and “run with endurance the race God has set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1c) Amen and amen!
Dec 3rd, 2018, Mon, 1:02 pm
