True Grit

It was a cold wintery morning. Frost had bitten

the country and after an early start I was driving

down the A30 with the radio blasting. Traffic was

light. I had washed my car, and it was gleaming from

top to tyre, a rare occurrence.

As I climbed into the hills the roads became damp and slushy, murky spray splashed up behind the cars, when, to my dismay I noticed a large, slow, gritter lorry ahead, spraying salt like a torrent across the lanes to prevent ice forming and improve grip.

Hmmm, when I overtake this crawling spreader, my shiny gleaming car will be spattered in slush, dirty salt and messy splashback! What could I do?                   I couldn’t drive over it                                                                                           I couldn’t drive under it                                                                                           I couldn’t stay behind it                                                                                         I couldn’t escape it.                                                                                                 I had to go round it!   - So much for my clean car!                                                   In life there are unavoidable things we must face. We cannot go round them, cannot go under them, cannot get over them, cannot escape them, and often facing ourselves can be the hardest thing of all.

Peter, do you love Me? Jn 21:15

Peter had to live with the memory that he denied Jesus three times, and from such flashbacks of deception, avoidance and betrayal he would never escape.  He was wholly forgiven instantaneously, but self-tolerance would take longer.  We all have failures we cannot avoid, hard memories we cannot escape, flaws we cannot minimise, and we own them and grieve them, but as God used Peter powerfully to build his Church, he can use us and our flaws powerfully too.                

With Love,   Rev Gill x

You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, Matt 16:18