AVOIDING* THE HALL OF MIRRORS
OR ESCAPING
CHAPTER 14
Clear Up Your Mess + Failure: Recovery and Resilience (1|2)
Pages 171-178 (end reading at: …what this training involves)
Luke 22:31-32 (ESV) + Luke 21:15 (ESV) page 173.
John 21:1-19 (NIV) Afterward, Jesus appeared again to his disciples by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead. Jesus Reinstates Peter When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
“We sometimes find it hard to consider how our failures before the Lord often have a reverberating impact on those close to us; it can be a very painful thing to think about.” What is your response to this statement?
“Some of us can be very harsh on others and soft on ourselves, and some of us can be very soft on others and harsh on ourselves…” Do you have a tendency to be one way over the other, or do you vacillate depending on the circumstances?
Why might our default be to set the bar high in terms of expectations of ourselves and others? How can we move towards more grace for ourselves and others?
There is a difference between grace-filled honesty and just being really harsh with ourselves and others. “ While it’s best to go for the truth, we must never confuse that with harshness and treating one another carelessly. Jesus is always the measure. He was full of grace and truth. GRACE with NO truth brings a slow death; TRUTH with NO grace brings a quick death. Grace AND truth bring life.” What is your response to this statement?