Denying Jesus

Jesus knew Peter would deny Him. He knew before the day ended, when it most mattered, Peter would not stand up for Him. He knew Peter would choose comfort over compassion. His own safety over his Savior. Peter told Jesus he was willing to go with Him to prison. That he was ready to go with Him to death. But Jesus already knew. He knew what had to be fulfilled. “Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know Me.” How hard that must have been for Jesus. To know He was about to be seized. To be taken away. To be falsely accused. And His very disciples. The ones who saw the miracles. The ones who should have had the most faith. The ones who had just argued about which of them was considered the greatest. Would in their next breath, deny Him. Scripture says, once Jesus was led away by the guards, that Peter followed at a distance. Far enough away, I guess, so no one would associate him with Jesus. Just hours before, Peter was adamant that he would be there. Right next to Jesus. Standing up. Being bold. But when faced with reality, he couldn’t do it. “This man was with him”, they said when they saw Peter following. “I don’t know Him,” Peter replied. “You also are one of them,” they whispered. “I am not!” Peter yelled. “Certainly this fellow was with them!” they continued. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Peter exclaimed. Three opportunities to stand up. To be bold. To be courageous. And all three times, he denied Him. The rooster crowed. Jesus turned and looked at Peter. And Peter was filled with regret. How often this is us! Saying we love Jesus. But only with those who love Him too. We are not bold. We don’t bring up His Name with strangers. Or at work. Or in our social circles. Because bringing up His Name isn’t allowed. Or accepted. We might be considered strange. Or too religious. Talking about Him could make people uncomfortable. Because it’s not “normal” to say His Name in casual conversations. To talk about His promises. To bring up His sacrifice. And so we get nervous. And timid. And consider our comfort over His Cross. “You will deny me too,” Jesus says. “No we won’t,” we assure Him. And then, like Peter, we do.

Today she will be a princess

Some might say a princess dress should only be worn on special occasions. But my five-year-old granddaughter would disagree with you.

To her, EVERY day is a special occasion. 

She puts on a princess dress to make breakfast. And to check the mail. And to walk the dog. She wears one while doing puzzles. And painting pictures. And playing games. In her mind, there are no instances or destinations, where a princess dress isn't the most perfect choice. 

Over her short life, she has amassed a small collection of these dresses. From simple nightgowns to fancy ball gowns, each one brings her an immeasurable amount of joy. She loves being able to choose "just the right one" to wear on her next adventure.  

And at her age, everything is an adventure. From the simple to the mundane, she finds awe in things grownups so easily overlook. There may be no one on earth who gets more delight from scanning groceries than she does. It takes us twice as long, but the happiness it brings, makes it all worthwhile.

Grandchildren are amazing because they remind us of what we missed with our own children. And it gives us a second chance to slow down. To enjoy the moment. To not care what other people think.

As parents, it's easy to be impatient. We grab little hands and pull them along. We're always in a hurry. Always running late. We rush around, worried about the dirty dishes. And the pile of laundry that has to be put away. We prioritize things we think are important. Like outfits that match. And taking perfect pictures. 

And before we know it, it's gone. And all those things we thought should matter, really didn't matter at all. 

We naively rushed through their childhood. Thinking it would last forever. Wasting time fighting battles we didn't need to fight.  

And when it's gone, and they're grown, we miss it. We miss those moments when we could have stopped to play, to listen, to hold little hands that just wanted to show us how they see the world.  

It was within our grasp, and we took it for granted. 

And then God gives us a grandchild. And suddenly we get the chance to do it all again. Rarely in life do we get a "do-over", an opportunity to re-live those precious moments. But here I am, blessed with this chance, and I'm determined not to waste it.  

I love the freedom this wisdom has brought me. How it allows me to postpone dishes to be washed and rooms to be cleaned. How I can overlook things that don't matter. 

Like the creative clothing choices of a child. 

And so, my granddaughter has worn princess dresses in unlikely places. She has gone to Church in a princess dress. And to the grocery store. And to the playground. She's worn a princess dress on walks. And at picnics. And on hikes. She's worn a princess dress in a creek. And to a waterfall. And to pet a goat. And when the mood strikes, she puts on a crown. And proudly wears it the entire day without a care in the world.

I long to save these moments for her. I want her to cherish the joy that comes from living a life that allows her to be a curious dreamer. I want her to always believe that finding happiness in small things is as simple at the age of 50, as it is at the age of 5. 

I know the day will come when she won't want to wear princess dresses every day anymore. She will have moved on to different clothing choices. Different dreams. 

And if experience has taught me anything, it's that this day will come sooner than I'd like.

So, when my granddaughter asks if she can wear a princess dress, I don't hesitate. I let her pull out all the options. I let her decide which dress fits the occasion. And I never question her choice.

Later today we're going to a butterfly farm. She has decided the butterflies will like her purple one the best. I was hoping she would pick the pink one. It's fancier and I think it will look better in pictures. But she has her heart set on the purple one. 

The same one she wore yesterday.

I remind myself it doesn't matter. Her choice doesn't need to be a battle. And so we shake off the purple one and she puts it on. And she couldn't be happier. 

Childhood is short.

You blink and it's gone.

Like most parents, I learned that the hard way.

As a grandparent, I don't want to make that mistake again.

Tomorrow, and all its changes, will be here too quickly. 

I can already see them creeping in.

But for now, we still have today.

And if wearing her purple princess dress to the butterfly farm will bring her joy, then today, by all means, she will be a purple princess.

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Do you get the credit? Or does God?

Do you give God credit for what He has done for you? 

Do you speak of Him and let others know how He rescued you. 

How he saved you.

How He lifted you up out of that pit. 

When people see your life, and all that you have. 

Do you tell them it is God who has blessed you. 

It is because of Him you are alive.

It is through Him you have anything at all. 

When you speak, is it Him that you honor. 

That you mention. 

That you hold up in high esteem. 

Are you constantly thankful. 

Constantly bringing to mind. 

Constantly aware that He has a plan and a purpose for your life. 

When you consider your talents. 

And your gifts. 

And your abilities. 

Do you remember Him. 

Do you thank Him. 

Do you use them for His glory. 

Does your heart stay in a place of knowing. 

Stay in a place of believing. 

Stay in a place of trusting. 

That the Lord deserves the credit. 

And deserves the reverence. 

And deserves to be remembered. 

For all that He has done for you.

It is finished

Scripture says the devil led Jesus up to a high place to tempt Him. And Jesus countered the temptation with the Word of God. Then the devil led Him to another high place to try again. But this time, he used the Word of God too. Because the devil knows the promises God has given us. And he will do anything to get power over our lives. The devil wanted Jesus to test God. And Jesus refused to do it. How many times have we been led to high places? Promises of power or money or prestige? How many times have we been blinded by the desire of worldly things? Or allowed the Word to be twisted to fit our wants? How many times has the devil come into our lives and asked us to test God? How many times has he convinced us to use the Word of God to justify our wrongdoing? There’s nothing more the devil wants, then to see us in hell. And there’s nothing more Jesus wants, then to make sure we don’t go there. But the choice is ours. Neither can make it for us. The devil may have led us to temptation. But that doesn’t mean we have to stay there.

They had done everything right. They observed all the Lord’s commandments. They followed His regulations blamelessly. Zechariah was a priest. He served the Lord daily. But they had no children. Elizabeth was barren. The prayer they had prayed for a lifetime had never been answered. And yet they kept serving. Kept honoring God. Even into their old age. To the world it looked like God had forgotten them. To the world it looked disgraceful. Bearing children meant God’s favor. And the world assumed they didn’t have it. But God’s timing wasn’t their timing. It wasn’t back then. And it isn’t now. God heard their prayer. And He had it come to pass at just the right moment. For them. And for us. Because their child would be the one who would make a way for His son. The world assumed the worst. And yet God planned the best. What would you have done if you were Zechariah? If you were Elizabeth? What would you have done if your deepest prayer wasn’t met? If it seemed God wasn’t answering? Or a lifetime passed with no results? Would you keep serving Him? Would you still live upright? Would you still follow His commandments when your heart was broken? Would you be willing to trust that God is still faithful, even when what you wanted, didn’t come as you planned?