You are bigger than your mistake. Your worth is not determined by your success, therefore your failure cannot diminish your future. God sees your worst and believes in your best. Jesus calls out your potential and leads you into the life you were created for.

Peter is the disciple best known for 2 things. The bold one who dared to walk on water with Jesus, then sank; and the one who swore he would die for Jesus, then denied him 3 times in one night.

We’re a whole lot like Peter. We sure want to do good but dang if we don’t screw it up sometimes. Our intentions are always to live right, then we turn wrong. We start strong and fizzle fast. We rise up only to fall again. We dream big, then we’re sidelined by disappointment. We feel that tingling in our spirit and boldly declare we’re moving forward, then we discover it was indigestion and we’re stuck again.

What does Jesus think about this track record of ours? What does he see when he looks at us struggling our way through life sometimes?

He sees who we truly are. He sees who we were created to be. He sees our God given potential. And here’s the thing you need to know, HE’S NOT GIVING UP.

He’s not walking away. Not washing his hands of you.

Jesus is not pacing the floor in worry over how in the world he’s going to change you, fix you or overhaul your life. He knew every mistake you would ever make, every sin you would ever commit, every failure in your future and he said THAT ONE. She’s worth it. I choose her.

He chose you and he doesn’t regret it. You’re not a disappointment to him. He still chooses you. Drop the guilt and shame the evil one tries to attach to your identity and dare to believe who your creator says you are.

Psalm 139:14 says you are beautiful.

1 Peter 2:9 says you are chosen.

Ephesians 2:10 says you are made for a purpose.

John 1:12 says you are a precious child of God.

Jeremiah 31:3 says you are loved forever.

Nowhere do I see your shortcomings and inner struggles changing any of this. Nowhere is your past mentioned as a disqualifier for these truths.

Peter was chosen by Jesus. Jesus loved his boldness, loved his willing spirit to do what others simply wouldn’t do. In Matthew 16 Jesus tells him he is the ROCK on which he will build his church. That’s how Jesus saw him, as a rock. Solid, strong and steady.

Yet Peter was anything but steady. He was impulsive. He was hot then cold. He was all in then all out. But Jesus was calling him to more, just as he’s calling you to more. He’s calling you to your potential. And here’s what you need to know … on your way to your potential, the path will be filled with reminders of your shortcomings. Failures will follow and yet Jesus will call you on.

Just 10 chapters after Jesus declares Peter as the ROCK, what does Peter do? He denies Jesus 3 times. 3 times to protect his own butt, he says he doesn’t know this Jesus and he’s not with him.

Did this surprise Jesus? Did he make a mistake 10 chapters earlier with his declaration of building his church on him? NOT AT ALL!

And he knew the mistakes you would make along the way too, yet he still chooses to say you are beautiful, you are chosen, you are made for a purpose, you are his, and you are loved forever.

After Peter denies 3 times, he watches Jesus hang on a cross and die. Then a few weeks later Peter gets an unexpected surprise. Jesus appeared to the disciples one morning on a beach where he cooked breakfast. After they ate, he asked Peter a question.

The question was “do you love me?”

That’s it. Not why did you do this to me. Not how did you get this far off course. Not even are you sorry for what you did to me back there and are you going to change now. No, none of that. His only question was “do you love me Peter?”

3 times he asked and each time Peter said, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.”

3 times he denied Jesus and now 3 times he declared his love for him. And each time he was healed on the inside and restored to fulfill his purpose.

Through all our misteps and mistakes in this life Jesus only asks us one thing … DO YOU LOVE ME?

Yes Jesus, I love you.

That’s it. Okay, now Jesus says let’s move forward. No more dwelling on the past, you have a big future still ahead of you with a mighty purpose.

Peter was that rock, that steady firm foundation on which the church would be built. Jesus was right about him. AND HE’S RIGHT ABOUT YOU.

Nothing you have done changes that. Guilt and shame have no place here. Regret is gone when you understand nothing has hindered God’s good plans for you.

Just as Peter was given a new beginning, you have as well. If you want a beautiful future, it’s there for you. His grace is bigger than any mistake you could ever make and he can work with every single thing you surrender to him.

So Jesus asks one question… do you love me? Not, are you fixed now … have you changed … will you get it right this time … promise to not give up again … no, those are our questions, not his. His question is DO YOU LOVE ME? If you answer yes, then he’s ready to move forward with the life God has always planned for you, fulfilling the potential he placed within you.

Yes Lord, I love you, let’s do this!