breakfast

it seems that for as long as i've been alive, i have struggled with an inaccurate view of God. when i fall short/mess up/sin/be a general disappointment, i have a tendency to ignore God, for fear that he will be angry, and i do not want to face his perceived wrath.

tonight at 1825 i got a different picture.

we were talking about John chapter 21, when Peter decided, after Jesus' death and resurrection, to go fishing, and the other disciples hanging with him tagged along. they fished all night and got all of nothing. then, as the morning sun began to show its face, a man on the shore, a man they didn't recognize, told them to throw their net on the other side of the boat, which hit the payload. then, they realized that the advice giver was no ordinary man. he was Jesus.

Peter, in a brilliant act of impetuousness, instead of waiting for the boat his friends were getting jumped into the water and swam to shore. the last time John mentioned Peter in his book was on the resurrection morning. in a foot race to the tomb, Peter arrived second, walked in to the tomb and saw that it was empty. the previous time before that was when Peter denied Jesus three times.

not a shining moment of discipleship glory. quite the opposite. but here is Peter, and we will never know what went through his mind as he swam the distance between the boat and the beach, but i know that if it was me, i would have worried about what kind of reception i would get. disappointment, anger, cold shoulder...

the last thing that i would have expected would have been breakfast. but that is what Peter, and the other disciples got. when Peter could have expected a berating, he got breakfast, and a chance for a healing conversation with his Savior.

a God who cooks breakfast... and paves our way back to a relationship with him.

if it wasn't true, who could come up with this stuff?!