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Where No One wants to go...

John 21:16-18
"16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; Thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me? Peter was grieved because He said unto him the third time, Lovest thou Me? And he said unto Him, Lord, Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not."

This is a beautiful moment! With our modern eyes we can see something very clinical transpires here; Peter's failure and Jesus' crucifixion had caused Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Peter. Now, this morning meeting on the seashore around the coal fire, surrounded by friends is what doctors today call "Imagery Re Scripting and Reprocessing Therapy" a part of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT). Jesus is repairing Peter's past; three times Peter denied he was a Disciple of Jesus, now three times Peter professes his love to Jesus in front of the other Disciples. If you and I will spend the time studying God's word and worshiping Him on a daily basis; GOD will meet you on the shore. Just like this loving picture of Jesus and His Disciples where His Therapy is healing and restoring! 

If your and my experience is not literally like St. Peter's, maybe we will miss out on the next blessing that Jesus prophesied for Peter; "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not." 

We can see ourselves in the Apostle Peter; in his youth he walked on the balls of his feet. He was prepared to take on all commers and did! Successfully and unsuccessfully. As he matures so does his challenges and eventually his opponents will carry him to his death by crucifixion. The place NO ONE wants to go. 

The good parts of these daily devotionals are inspired by the sermon at Holy Ghost Lutheran Church in Fredericksburg Texas. You can watch it by following this link... https://youtu.be/70WTr6CjDHU
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