Failure.

Often in life, we make commitments to things and then don't follow through. We fail to do the things we set out to do. What are the reasons for these failings? Is it because it got too hard? Or we got too busy with other stuff? Or someone criticized you? made you feel like you weren't good enough?

Lets look at the definition of fail: –verb
: to fall short of success or achievement in something expected, attempted,
desired, or approved
: to be unsuccessful in the performance or completion

Well, we're all failures. None of us can, on our own strength live up to every expectation set before us. We fail our friends, by not taking time to go to lunch when they're hurting. We fail our parents by breaking rules, or by not believing as they believe. We fail our families by burning dinner. We fail ourselves because we set the bar too high. We expect to be able to do everything well and we end up getting overwhelmed and failing everything.

We all have a fear of failure. Sometimes, we set a goal, and then, we get scared of not making it, so we give up all together. I see this a lot in the lives of others, and a lot in my own life. We get scared, and so we walk away. Or we do something half-way, and that way, later on--if we fail, we know we didn't try our hardest, so its ok that we failed.

It's a terrible feeling, to fail. To know that you aren't "good enough". The good news for us is that Jesus doesn't care. In fact, the disciple that we see fail the most is the one Jesus chooses to build his church. Peter was a failure. Lets look at just a few examples :

The words were barely out of his mouth when Judas (the one from the Twelve) showed up, and with him a gang from the high priests and religious leaders brandishing swords and clubs. The betrayer had worked out a sign with them: "The one I kiss, that's the one—seize him." He went straight to Jesus, greeted him, "How are you, Rabbi?" and kissed him.

Jesus said, "Friend, why this charade?"

Then they came on him—grabbed him and roughed him up. One of those with Jesus pulled his sword and, taking a swing at the Chief Priest's servant, cut off his ear.

Jesus said, "Put your sword back where it belongs. All who use swords are destroyed by swords. Don't you realize that I am able right now to call to my Father, and twelve companies—more, if I want them—of fighting angels would be here, battle-ready? But if I did that, how would the Scriptures come true that say this is the way it has to be?" --Matthew 26:-47-54 (the message)

So here Peter immediately becomes battle ready--without any instruction from Jesus and Jesus tells him that fighting isn't the answer. How do you think Peter felt? Here he is, trying to defend Jesus, and Jesus--in front of the entire crowd calls him out and tells him to knock it off.

Not long after, something else happens to Peter:

All this time, Peter was sitting out in the courtyard. One servant girl came up to him and said, "You were with Jesus the Galilean." In front of everybody there, he denied it. "I don't know what you're talking about."

As he moved over toward the gate, someone else said to the people there, "This man was with Jesus the Nazarene." Again he denied it, salting his denial with an oath: "I swear, I never laid eyes on the man."

Shortly after that, some bystanders approached Peter. "You've got to be one of them. Your accent gives you away." Then he got really nervous and swore. "I don't know the man!"

Just then a rooster crowed. Peter remembered what Jesus had said: "Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." He went out and cried and cried and cried. Matthew 26:69-75 (the message)

Peter, ready to defend Jesus to the death just hours before, becomes a coward. He can't stand up for the very cause he was willing to die for. In Luke, it tells us that from where Jesus was being charged, he could see into the courtyard, and looked at Peter. How do you think Peter felt later, as he watches Jesus dying on the cross, and the last interaction they had was Peter's repeated denial. Talk about failure--but then something amazing happens. Look at John chapter 21, verses 15-18 (the message):

After breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" "Yes, Master, you know I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."

He then asked a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" "Yes, Master, you know I love you." Jesus said, "Shepherd my sheep."

Then he said it a third time: "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was upset that he asked for the third time, "Do you love me?" so he answered, "Master, you know everything there is to know. You've got to know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep."

Jesus is instructing Peter to go out, build the church and be a pastor--a shepherd to the people. He tells him to look after the believers after he is gone. Peter, the impulsive coward. Peter makes me feel good about myself. I mean seriously, as much as I screw up-- this guy spent 3 years day and night with Jesus, recognized him as the Christ -- and STILL screwed things up. I think that Jesus knows that we're not perfect, and he doesn't expect us to be. He just expects us to do our best to follow him. If we get lost, or screw up, its ok. As long as we are working toward being like Jesus, and trying to show his love in all we do, I think we're on the right track.