Christian Living
Pete and Repeat
29He said, Come! So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, and he came toward Jesus. –Matthew 14:29
Pete and Repeat were on a boat, Pete fell off, who was left? Repeat. Ok, Pete and Repeat were on a boat, Pete fell off, who was left? Repeat. No, I don’t think I will. Childhood riddles and games, we all have our memories of them. But are they truly limited only to our childhood or do they play a larger part in our present lives than we care to admit?
“Break the cycle”, “get off the bus”, “the face of change”, “going down the same path gets the same results”. These are all phrases that anyone can relate to. They are often then followed by a sales pitch, with the empty promise of bringing you the “change you are looking for”. Sadly, many people pin their hopes on the empty promises and find themselves, “falling off the wagon” and repeating the same mistakes, over and over and over again.
Contrary to popular opinion, Christians, although they should be, are not immune to this cycle. David and I used to joke that one day we were going to start a church called, “Been There, Done That and Never Going Back”. Hey, if a church can have a tattoo parlor onsite, our little joke doesn’t seem so far-fetched!
Life seems like a merry-go-round. You observe it for a while from the outside, hear the laughter, see the smiles and it draws you there. The problem is, if you don’t know when to get off, you are fighting to hold on, the “centrifugal force” pushing you away. If you are fortunate, you may stay on long enough for someone to show you mercy and bring it to a halt. Only then can gracefully dismount, drag yourself across the ground and to the bushes, where hiding your face, you do your part to keep the park beautiful.
For some people, just bearing witness to that event would be enough to keep them more than an arm’s length from the torturous ride. But for others, they just hop right back on for a repeat performance.
As graphic as that may be and as simple a portrayal to understand, we live it every day.
You may think to yourself that there is no way that you would do that. But put it into perspective. What is the merry-go-round in your life? Why do you keep getting back on? Who is observing you? What are you drawing them to?
Someone may want to pipe up here and say, “I am not responsible for what other people do”. You are absolutely right. However, if you are a proclaimed Christian, you are responsible for Who you represent.
Do you find yourself taking care and precaution to represent your employer properly? Why: Because, you may find yourself unemployed if you don’t comply with employee procedure. Are you married? When you walk out the door each day, do you slip off your wedding ring and put it in your pocket? Does your life present itself as married or single? Why: Because you might end up divorced.
Do we really take these things into account in our relationship with Christ? Or do you keep repeating the same mistakes, over and again, counting on His grace and mercy. Has grace and mercy simply become your coverall so that you really don’t expect anything other than a repeat performance?
Why does the One, Who laid down His very life for you, deserve less than you would give to your employer or spouse? Why is it easier to repeat?
Mahatma Gandhi said: “Be the change you want to see in the world”. Most people are familiar with this quote. But I wonder if people are familiar with this one:
("Oh, I don't reject Christ. I love Christ. It's just that so many of you Christians are so unlike Christ."
“If Christians would really live according to the teachings of Christ, as found in the Bible, all of India would be Christian today,” he added.)
If this statement alone doesn’t bear witness to the weight of us more consistently repeating mistakes than not, I don’t know what does.
“I’m not perfect”! You’re right, none of us are! You’re not Jesus either. But you are called to represent Him to the best of your ability. Funny how we showcase our abilities to gain whatever position it is we seek, but then only focus on excusing our inabilities when it comes to our walk with Christ.
Let Peter be an example today. Through the storm, focus on Christ. When you see Him, call out to Him. Make an uncompromising decision to ditch the boat, leaving Repeat behind. You may get shaky and even start to sink, don’t look back. When Jesus has you by the hand, or in His arms, that boat with Repeat in it will fade into the distance, as Jesus carries you to the other side!
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