Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.” “We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night. At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was. He called out, “Fellows, have you caught any fish?” “No,” they replied. Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it. Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore. The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about a hundred yards from shore. When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them—fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread. “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus said. So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn. “Now come and have some breakfast!” Jesus said. None of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. John 21:3-12 (NLT)
This is such a relatable story. We have all been where Peter was. He started out with Jesus being one of His best friends and ended up denying he even knew Jesus, something he was warned about and doubted he would ever do. He spent about three years following Jesus and really getting to know Him, and then made a huge mistake. As a result, he decided to go back to his comfort zone – fishing. He spent all night fishing and caught nothing. Can you imagine how much worse this made him feel? He couldn’t do anything right it seemed. Then Jesus enters the scene. He lovingly gives them direction to try again. As they follow His direction, they bring in a catch of fish that their nets shouldn’t have been able to hold. When they get to shore, Jesus had breakfast ready for them.
We have all been here. We were in a place where we wanted to give up in a difficult situation and run back to our comfort zone. We knew we were in way over our heads. Our mistakes were bigger than we could fix ourselves. Then Jesus enters the scene. He lovingly gives us direction and the end turns out to be better than we could have ever expected. He knows we are going to make mistakes but still wants to spend time with us because He loves us. All we have to do is have a heart to listen. God meets us where we are and lovingly guides us to His plan for us.
Prayer:
God, thank you that you love me enough to meet me where I am. You know I will make mistakes and you love me anyway. I choose to take the steps to continue to grow in you. Show me what I need to do today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.