I am more like Peter than I care to admit. Every time I hear the Gospel in which Jesus tells Peter he will deny him three times before the cock crows I usually think to myself, Peter may deny you but I wouldn’t have. I always think that for some reason if I had been in the same shoes as Peter there is no way no how that I would have denied Jesus.
I don’t really know why I’ve thought this maybe it’s because I’ve always been really good at following directions. When I was a young lad I used to love to fish. I mean I was obsessed with the sport. I had tackle boxes filled with lures and I’d read just about any book I could get my hand on regarding the topic.
Every year the local mall would have a boat/fishing show. For me this was my young selfs definition of heaven. Aisles upon aisles of the latest and greatest fishing boats, lures, guides and even a few free samples. I used to get all excited when the ads would come on the radio announcing the boat show.
One particular year my family went to the boat show and on the way there I was envisioning all the sights and smells that was my favorite sport. I remember when we arrived at the show, my Mom and Dad had to make a return at a store and I was asked if I wanted to go with or stay out in the mall and look at boats. I chose the boats, but before my parents left I was given what I thought were specific instruction not to leave the wing of the mall I was in and that my parents would come back and get me.
I was thrilled to be able to look at boats and not have to go return whatever it was my Mom needed to return. It didn’t even matter to me that the section of the mall I was in was filled with pontoons and not fishing boats. It was still better than waiting in line for a return.
I strolled around each pontoon looking at the different features each pontoon making more excited to go and see the real boats, the fishing boats. I could see a couple of fishing boast over in the distance, but there weren’t in the wing I was in and therefore off limits. Besides my parents would be back soon enough to get me.
The time passed slowly, ten minutes began twenty and twenty began thirty and still no sign of my parents. Maybe they had forgotten about me, but no matter how much I wanted to go out and look at the other boats I stayed put. I was told to stay by the pontoons and that’s what I did. After about an hour and a half my family finally came back to get me. Turns out my Mom had assumed I’d be out wandering the show and that she would eventually run into me. I wasn’t I stayed put, like I was told to. That year the only boats I saw at the show were the pontoons, we left shortly after I was reunited with my parents. My desire to follow directions caused me to miss out on the highlight of my year. Ya see I’m really good at following directions.
For some reason, whether it is my ability to follow directions or my own arrogance, I’ve often thought that I wouldn’t have followed in the footsteps of Peter. I’ve recently come to the conclusion, like the first line of this post states, I’m a lot more like Peter than I care to admit.
For you see just like Peter, when I am surrounded by fellow believers and in the presence of Christ I truly do believe that there is no way I’d ever deny Christ in my life. There is no way I’d deny Him once let alone three times. But then, when I head out into the world and go about my daily life it is so easy to deny Christ and not even realize that I’m doing it.
I deny Him when I fail to see Christ in my fellow man and turn my back on someone in need. I deny Him when I fail to pray aloud before a meal in public out of fear of ridicule for my beliefs. I deny Him when I fail to defend my beliefs when people challenge them.
I have realized that I deny Christ more in my life than I care to admit. Too many times in my life I have become just like Peter standing around a fire warming myself and when questioned if I am affiliated with Jesus I deny it out of fear for my own well being.
It doesn’t matter that I’m really good at following directions because just like when I was at the boat show I often times misinterpret the directions and while I think I am doing well it turns out I’m failing.
Yes, I’m more like Peter than I care to admit and just like Peter I weep bitterly for my denials of Christ. I need stop denying Christ in my life and instead life my life for Him. It’s what Peter did and you see I’m more like Peter than I care to admit.
