Salt Leaven and Light

Have you ever denied Christ?

I have.

Stuck somewhere between a nearly two year separation and a divorce, I had a one-sided conversation with Jesus, and it wasn’t pretty.

“I don’t believe you,” I cried out, overcome with blinding hopelessness. “I don’t believe you can make this right. Complete healing is NOT possible. What has been broken can NEVER be fixed–not now, not in eternity. Those who have wayward children can hope that repentance will come–now, or in eternity. Those who lose a loved one to death have hope that they will be reunited with their loved one someday. But divorce? Not even You can put all those broken pieces back together. The family we once had is gone forever. All is lost. There is no hope. Not now, not ever.”

In that moment, I completely denied Christ as a Savior, Healer, and Redeemer. I considered Him a man with false claims. But through it all, He never let me go. He knew the polishing I was in need of would just take some time.

He was there with me every time my impetuous words and ways carried me further away from my higher calling.

He was there, with extended hand, every time my faith gave way to fear.

He was there each time my pride-filled heart grew humble.

He was there when the deepest recesses of my heart began to fill with repentance and forgiveness.

He was there when I caught a glimpse of my higher calling.

He was there when it all finally began to make sense to me.

He was right there, waiting patiently, when I began to see what He had seen all along.

That there IS hope.

That healing IS possible.

And that, while He doesn’t always put the pieces back together the way they were, He DOES, if we allow it, add new pieces that will enhance the original design.

Jesus doesn’t fix things. He heals them from the inside out.

And He knows that healing process takes time.

That was His plan for Peter.

That was His plan for me.

And that is His plan for you–

to heal you from the inside out,

through all the blindingly hopeless storms of life,

until you finally catch a glimpse of your higher calling,

of what you mean to Him,

and of what, as Savior, Healer, and Redeemer, He means to you.

Reading the story of Peter this year changed me, for his story is my story–his denial of Christ (three times!) in the Gospels, and his subsequent dedication to Christ for the remainder of his life, beginning in the book of Acts.

Each of us is a diamond-in-the-rough, waiting to be polished, saved, healed, and redeemed through the atoning power of Jesus Christ.

He lives.

He loves us.

He is our Advocate with the Father.

He is the ultimate Restorer of Hope.

—-

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:

PETER DENIES CHRIST
Matthew 26: 69-75:

69 Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.”

70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are saying.”

71 And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

72 But again he denied with an oath, “I do not know the Man!”

73 And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, “Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you.”

74 Then he began to [a]curse and [b]swear, saying, “I do not know the Man!”

Immediately a rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So he went out and wept bitterly.

---

May contain affiliate links. See disclosure for details.

PETER DEDICATES HIS LIFE TO CHRIST

In Acts 1:15, Peter “stood up in the midst of the disciples” and began to lead.

Of Peter, Spencer W. Kimball said,

“When Christ chose this fisherman for his first and chief apostle, he was taking no chances. He picked a diamond in the rough-a diamond that would need to be cut, trimmed, and polished by correction, chastisement, and trials-but nevertheless a diamond of real quality. The Savior knew this apostle could be trusted to receive the keys of the kingdom, the sealing and the loosing power. Like other humans, Peter might make some errors in his developing process, but he would be solid, trustworthy, and dependable as a leader of the kingdom of God.” (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, edited by Edward L. Kimball [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1982], 470.)