I have always liked the disciple Peter. He made a lot of mistakes, opened his mouth at all the wrong times, didn’t want to have to forgive his brother, and ultimately even denied Jesus—three times.
Yet, Peter appeals to me because I am a lot like him. Like Peter, each of us makes mistakes, each of us has times when we don’t forgive our offenders—and most certainly, each of us has disappointed our Savior. I know I have many times.
I came to the point when I looked at myself and all the mistakes I’d made (and would undoubtedly continue to make) and concluded that I was an awful person. I am not always honest, I get angry, I’m lazy, I argue a lot, I’m sarcastic and critical … and on the list goes.
Maybe He loves me for the person I could be, I thought. That made sense. So I decided to try to be that person. Loving, kind, helpful, always ready to inspire and lift others up.
Well, that was the plan. But even the best plans are useless if you can’t put them into practice. And I couldn’t. I did try to be better, but now that I was aware of all my failings, it seemed that I only made more mistakes. However hard I tried, I couldn’t become the person I could be, the one I thought God loved so much.
Then it came to me: God doesn’t love me as the person I could or should or might be! He loves me for who I am! Right now, right here, me. Broken, shattered, disappointing me. He doesn’t need a “because” to love me. And that goes for everyone.
Would you like to receive God’s forgiveness? You can’t do anything to earn salvation, but God gives it freely to all who accept His Son, Jesus. You can do that by praying this prayer:
Dear Jesus, I know that I’m a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and I want to trust You as my Savior from this day on. Help me get to know You through Your words in the Bible. Amen.