“That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.” – John 21:7
Peter had utterly failed Jesus. When the pressure was on and push came to shove, Peter crumbled and pretended he didn’t know Jesus. After proud and defiant boasts about his bravery and willingness to die for Jesus, Peter had been a coward and left Jesus to die alone. Peter’s shame and guilt could have paralyzed him and left him stuck spiritually for the rest of his life. It could caused him to run away from Jesus or try to hide from Him. Thankfully, it didn’t and Peter became a powerful preacher of Christ’s love and grace!
When the disciples saw the resurrected Jesus that morning in Galilee, Peter was so eager and anxious to get to Jesus that he jumped out of the boat and swam to shore. While the others calmly brought their boat back to shore, Peter just wanted to be with Jesus and Jesus welcomed Him. He couldn’t wait to be in His presence and Jesus love Him for that.
This is an important example for each of us. There may well come a day when you feel like you’ve failed Jesus. There may be a time when you’re overwhelmed by shame and guilt. You may fear that Jesus won’t ever want anything to do with you again because of some sin, weakness, or failure. You may think you’re beyond Christ’s love and forgiveness. Don’t believe it!
Rush to Jesus! Don’t worry about how embarrassing your return might be or how wet you might get by jumping out of the boat. Don’t worry about making a fool of yourself. Just rush to Jesus! Confess your sins, mistakes, and failures to Him and He’ll forgive you every time. He’ll embrace you with love and compassion. He already died for you – He won’t reject you when you return to Him. He’ll put your relationship with Him right and even make it better than it was before.
Don’t let sin and shame hold you back from rushing to Jesus. Leave all that behind and know that your Savior will always welcome, forgive, and restore you.