Ok, so since my last throw-it-out-there-question crashed and burned (apparently my blog circle shuts down on weekends), I thought i’d try this again.
What is one quality you HAVE to have in a friend?
My Answer: Stability - I have a hard time getting the most from a friendship if the other party is unstable (i.e. insecure, undependable, needy…)
Wednesday at our ALIVE meeting, the girls and I had a TERRIFIC bible study, I just HAD to share about it. I 
am thoroughly loving this group we’ve got right now. They’re consistent, committed, teachable and uplifting. But anyway, back to the bible study from last night. I’m not quite sure why this question popped into my mind about a week ago, but suddenly I thought to myself “Hmmm, I wonder why, after Peter had denied Christ the evening of his seizure, did Jesus later respond to Peter with ‘Feed my sheep’?” Or to put it in another way, why, of ALL the things Jesus could have said to Peter - such as “you idiot…” or “you’re forgiven, no worries…” or “told ya so…” or “Hey bud, I love ya…” did he say “Feed my sheep?”
John 21 - Feed my sheep.
Could Peter have ever seen that one coming? And when we fail big time like Peter (especially when we’re sturdy and self-assured like Peter was during the Last Supper - ‘Oh no, I will NEVER fail YOU, Lord!’) what might it mean to us that Jesus said “Feed my sheep” to his fallen disciple?
So we discussed this question. Here are some of the points we made:
- Peter needed to know that Jesus was confident in his ability to continue as a leader
- Peter needed to be reminded that he was called to do in the first place - despite a failure along the way
- Peter needed to get past the self-pity, not wallowing in his failure and focus on the future
- Peter was chosen to be USEFUL, not paranoid about failing
- Peter needed to be strong for the other disciples and ministry leaders he would coach very soon
- Peter had already been taught and shown what he needed during his years with Christ, he didn’t need to be reminded of all of that, he just needed a statement of send-off
- Jesus knew the Holy Spirit would be sent soon, Peter would soon have that resource to help him in temptation
Above all, we concluded that Peter is a perfect example of how Jesus DOES and CAN use us - even after we fall or have failed. Here is a fantastic article from Desiringgod.org that sums up our conclusion: Jesus Chooses and Uses Failures
I’ve determined to be more vocal. To speak up and say what I really believe. I’m a very conscientious, ok, EXTREMELY conscientious person and since I popped out of the womb I’ve been striving to get over my inherent timidness. Fortunately, I’m not so self-preserving as to be deceitful, at least I wouldn’t say that’s what my timidness leads to. More like holding back feelings and ideas that would be helpful. Not speaking up soon enough. That’s the issue.
So. I will still be careful, but I will say more. I will still take my time, but I won’t extend that time until the situation has passed and it’s too late. Not to sound arrogant, but I think I may have some good stuff to say. Some answers. Some truth. Some fresh perspective. So I’ll try to go one step further than blogging it, I’m going to say it.
