God's Kingdom Belongs to KidsSample

Day Six: Failure in God’s Kingdom 

It’s interesting to notice where Jesus spoke the words, “...change and become like little children...” Jesus and his disciples were in Capernaum, the hometown of Peter, when he offered this teaching. Home draws something interesting out of us. When you go home, it doesn’t matter if you’ve made a meteoric rise in the fashion industry; to your family, you’re still that seventh-grade girl with the embarrassing braces. It’s so hard to take your self-made person home with you. When we’re home, we can want even more to appear sufficient, independent, without need, and accomplished.

Imagine Peter’s situation. The last time he was in Capernaum, he was a blue-collar fisherman. Now, he’s in the inner circle of the most polarizing man in Israel. So, he’s strolling into his hometown with his head held high. It’s right there that Jesus pulls in a child and puts his hands on his shoulders, looks Peter in the eye, and says, “You’re still not building a life on grace.” It will take an experience a few days later to drive these words home to Peter’s heart.

Fast forward to Peter’s denial of Jesus. After declaring that he was ready to die with Jesus, Peter denies any association with him whatsoever, three times. Jesus shoots a glance at him across the courtyard, and locks eyes with him. At that moment, Peter breaks. His own failure comes crashing in on him and he weeps bitterly. Now, in the moment that Peter became aware of his own failure, what was actually lost? Not Jesus’ mission. Not Peter’s role in Jesus’ kingdom. What was shattered was the shell of competence that Peter had used to shelter himself.

Like Peter, we can think our relationship with Jesus is based on keeping up the qualities and behaviors that we thought earned us a spot in his kingdom. Peter believed the lie that his worth was based on merit and not on grace. After his failure, Peter was left undone, humble, weak, and utterly dependent; a lot like a child. It’s no coincidence that after his encounter with the grace of Jesus through his own failure, Peter became much greater in the kingdom of heaven. When he was finally done managing God’s perception of him and just let the love of God wash over him, Peter raked in a harvest for the kingdom. Check out the Book of Acts! 

Reflection: God’s grace is not a safety net underlying great things we do on our own. Grace is the power that turns our failures into God’s greatest moments. Where are you looking for grace?

Prayer: "God, let me see you most clearly in my failures. Show me how your love and grace define our lives and set us free to live in your kingdom like a child."