Just Rubbish

Ever just got it completely wrong? Felt like a complete failure and wanted to just give up?

That's how Peter is feeling right now. Talking of Peters, Peter in the new testament (Jesus' disciple who started with the name Simon) felt like this. Particuarly when he vowed to Jesus that he would never ever let anything happen to Jesus and he would even die for him.  "Jesus replied, “I promise you that before a rooster crows tonight, you will say three times that you don’t know me.”  But Peter said, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never say I don’t know you.” Matthew 26 V 34 to 35

Later that evening when they came to arrest Jesus and took him to court, Peter was asked by three different people if he knew Jesus, one person even said they were sure they had seen Jesus with Peter. Peter reponded three times declaring he did not know him. Each time feeling more and more like a failure.

It's hard to get up and carry on when you feel like you have just messed it all up. Very quickly you can begin to think thoughts of not being worth anything at all. That's not how God sees us. When we fail and get it wrong it give God even more opportunity to show us his love and grace. At the end of the story of Jesus, Peter and the other disciples are with Jesus and Jesus asks Peter three questions. They all sounded very similar, he asked Peter "Do you love me?" Peter replied each time "I do" and each time Jesus said asked him to take care of his sheep or his lambs. He was saying to Peter that even though he had made a terrible mistake it didn't mean that Jesus or God had given up on him. In fact Jesus was asking him to take on a huge job, the job Jesus had been doing. Looking after people, telling them about God and showing them his love!!!

Next time you feel like a failure remember what Jesus said “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone missing, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that got lost? And if he finds it, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went missing." Matthew 18 v 12- 13

You are more precious to God than sheep. Next time you fail and want to just give up, ask God for help. He loves it when we ask him to help us do the right thing. He will always give you a second chance to try again.