by Elyse Fitzpatrick
He denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.”
Matthew 26:72

I think I know why most of you are reading this devotional. I think you’re reading this because you’re hoping against hope that there is still someplace in the world where you can get good news. You’re hoping the message you heard when you first came to Christ—that you’re forgiven and made new—is still true and is still your story. I’m sure some of you are parched souls looking for a cup of cold water.
There is great good news in God’s one-way love for you. And part of that good news is that you can live transparently. Are you glad the story of Peter’s denial is in the Bible? Now, is it a good thing that Peter sinned and denied Christ? No, of course not. Is it a good thing that we know about it? Yes, of course it is. So why are we not transparent more often? I think it’s because we’re surrounded by people who pretend that everything in their life is perfect and we’ve all entered into this unspoken pact to pretend together. But all this pretending will only result in despair or pride.
I want to be transparent with you about the fact that I’m a mess. I used to think that after forty-some years of life, I would be better than this. (I’m sure my husband thinks the same thing!) And you might be thinking, Oh, she’s not really that big of a mess; she’s just saying that. I hope that’s what you’re thinking, but it’s not true. I am that big of a mess. I’m a sinner, and I swear to you, the further along I get in the Christian journey, the more sinful I see my heart is. But I am at the same time growing in the courage to be honest about that. Because the good news is that while I see more and more of my own sinfulness each new day, I also see more and more of God’s grace. Neither my sin nor yours can “scare off” God.

Thought to Remember for Today

The fruit of being loved the way I’ve been loved, in spite of all my unbelief, idolatry, selfishness, demandingness, irritability, worry, and anger, is that I am finally willing, at least a little bit, to stop pretending. The truth is that I am broken, and my guess is that you are too, and that’s why you’re reading this. Just say (out loud, maybe?), “I’m broken, but He loves me.”

Fitzpatrick, E. (2016). Grace untamed: a 60-day devotional. Colorado Springs, CO: David C Cook.