"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." John 21:17 NIV
After signing up for the Worcester City Half Marathon, Sheila Pereira, 42, of Worcester, Massachusetts started training for the race that took place this past Sunday in Worchester, England. But despite the fact that Sheila unintentionally signed up for a race that was 3,200 miles away, she didn't let the mistake keep her down. Pereira, who admitted her error upon learning of the snafu, ran the 13.1 miles in her hometown on the same day as the English event and won the praise of the U.K. organisers who were happy to send her a race finishers pack complete with a participation medal and T-shirt. Now how's that for a happy ending?
And you know, just as the story shows, you and I don't have to let one mistake keep us from running the race - something Peter thankfully came to find out. You see, soon after vowing that he would never disown Jesus, Peter made the biggest mistake of his life. He denied Jesus three times leading him to weep bitterly over his blunder, no doubt thinking he could never be forgiven for such a grievous error. Thankfully though, Peter quickly repented and was soon restored after vowing his complete love and devotion to Jesus, going on to be one of the greatest and most faithful disciples of all time.
So if you've made a few mistakes recently and think you'll never be allowed to see the finish line, think again. God can and will restore you completely if you will simply confess and repent of your sin. That means every person's story can have a happy ending... even yours’ my friend.
Heavenly Father, thank You for being a God of second, third, and even one thousandth chances. Help us to remember that our mistakes don't have to define us or derail us. When we fall and fail Lord, even when we do it repeatedly, give us the strength to get back up again and again reminding us that You can and will forgive us if we would only ask. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!!!
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