Denial

Ahhh. This week we hit Peter's denial of Christ in our study of John. There is Peter standing ready with a sword to defend Christ; yet, that is not the way the scene plays out. Instead, Peter is halted by Christ, Malchus gets to keep his ear, Jesus chooses to submit to arrest, and the text comes to Peter's denial of Christ--- not once, but three times over the course of one night. I am no different than Peter. I fumble for my sword ready to race into battle when that is not the way needed. "Here I am Lord--- I am READY!" The truth is that I am not ready. I am a work in progress. I am sometimes overeager, and sometimes too hesitant.
Most recently, hesitation reared its ugly head in speaking up to call the magazines that my daughter's friend brought into our home what they are--- gossip. (I don't want to embarrass my daughter, but the Bible addresses gossip as well as my responsibility as a parent in training my child. This is not a gray area.) I asked the girls about the magazines specifically pointing out a basic definition of gossip. Katie was not embarrassed, but she did get the point. Her friend remained oblivious, but the magazines were stowed back in the girl's duffel bag once Kate's loss of interest was shown. As it turned out, I did not have to embarrass Katie to fulfill my role as her teacher, and I did not choose fitting in with a pair of pre-teens over training my daughter and avoiding gossip.
It's in these everyday situations that I most identify with Peter. I didn't sell out Christ for a gossip magazine and inclusion in a Saturday night sleepover. That's good, but it is unlikely to be the last time I find myself faced with acknowledging Christ in this sort of small detail. Will I choose to read Newsweek instead of People next time I am sitting in a waiting room killing time? Will I choose to keep my mouth shut next time one of my lovies comes up with something I find to be questionable or wrong?