Egging You On! Beating Life's Difficulties & Cracking on With GodSample

Peter - The Fried Egg

Fried eggs are quite dramatic and showy - they spit, make noise, and they like to be noticed. Peter was a bold, outgoing, fiery believer. He loved Jesus, he trusted him and he was involved in some incredible supernatural moments - walking on water, miraculous hauls of fish, saw healings take place, and was an eyewitness to the transfiguration.

I don't have much in common with Peter - he was feisty & fearless - a risk-taker. I have to psych myself up to walk to the local shop, never mind attempting to walk on water! That must be classed as an egg'xtreme sport! Much trickier than walking on eggshells!

Despite all of these incredible qualities and first-hand experiences of life with Jesus, Peter had an epic fail. He truly ended up with 'egg on his face', covered in shame. He was fried and he denied.

Have you ever felt this sense of crushing disappointment in yourself? Feeling like there's no way you can be restored or of any use to God again as you've let him down so badly? Maybe, like Peter, you are currently a fried egg - the heat is on and you feel you've let God down. You wish you could turn back time to prevent your failure from being part of your story.

The account of Peter denying Jesus and how Jesus restores him is such an encouragement to me. When Jesus is arrested and needs his friends to be by his side, Peter denies even knowing him, despite having promised Jesus he would never leave him (Matt 26:35). Three times a servant girl asks him if he is a friend of Jesus. And three times he denies it. (Matt 26: 69-75). When he realises the gravity of his failure he weeps bitterly. Later on, Jesus restores him, asking him three times if he loves him. In doing so, Jesus redeems his failure and wipes all of the egg of shame and embarrassment off Peter's face. He forgives him fully, never holding this against him, only showing love, grace, mercy, and friendship to him.

If you are currently in a fried egg state, please be encouraged by the life of Peter - thoroughly loved by Jesus throughout his great faith and great failures.

Reflection

Do you feel that you have blown it too badly to be used by God again?

Reflect on the way Jesus restores Peter. Allow him to wipe the egg off your face today.