The end of the story

Once a kindergarten student took home a paper from school that was not up to his usual excellent standard. He had failed to color the picture completely. His mother talked to him and explained how important it was to do his schoolwork well. Then, expecting a promise of better things, she asked," So, what are you going to do about it tomorrow?" "I'm going to stay home!" he explained.

Maybe you've been criticized for something you said or did. Perhaps you've taken on a project that didn't go as planned. Maybe you've gotten involved in a relationship that fell apart. When a new opportunity came along that might put you in a similar situation to the one in which you were unsuccessful, what did you do? Did you try to improve on your record, or did you run away from it like the kindergartener wanted to do?

Giving up is always the easy way out of difficulty, but eventually we all need to learn what Peter learned. Just before Jesus was crucified, Peter denied that he was one of Christ's disciples (John 18:15- 18). But the story doesn't end with this failure. Later, Jesus encouraged Peter to serve Him. And what happened to Peter? The early chapters of Acts tell us that he was leading the early church and boldly proclaiming the Gospel. Peter had learned how to build on failure, not get buried in its rubble.

Thank you, Lord, that your game plan includes restoration. May we never get so discouraged with ourselves for failing that we stop trying to succeed. And may we never get so proud of our successes that we think we can never fail. In Your Holy Name, Amen.
Rev. Charlotte Austin
McCary's Chapel
United Methodist Church