A wake-up call, a reminder in the early morning. Early is the thing to keep in mind; sooner or later it might happen, the denial of Jesus in our lives… This what happened to Peter, up to 3 times in a row! The crucial situation of Jesus sacrifice of His untrue accusations seemed to be far away from Peter’s conscience, even though he was standing so nearby… Being close to Him still can be a dangerous state for pride and security for selfishness, it’s a perfect situation for Satan’s attack. It means that however close you can be to Him, your still so vulnerable… to scared of what the rest of the world might think or even do to you. Isn’t that so often in our situations? Self reputation, these day’s it’s seems to be so important.

Jesus warned Peter this would happen in advantage, even having the warning, this situation kept Peter in a circle of self-pity. The eyes of the outside world were more important. But how unmistakably awful the moment must have bin, when he met the eyes of Jesus after hearing the calls of the rooster… Hide, hiding is the only place on your mind then… But in the end of day’s there will be no more opportunity of hiding anymore… People will flee and try to, but God sees you, judgement will come! The piercing, dreadful eyes of Jesus did it to Peter. The surrounding wake-up call of the early rooster, an eye opener, a warning. Start your day strong and remember Who is King. God is proud if we choose to stand firm. It’s amazing how great God’s forgiveness is, Peter got it also. Later he writes; ‘But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for hope that is in you, with meekness and fear, having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.’ (1 Peter 3:15,16) It looks like Peter’s hope at the time if denial was all lost, he saw Christ being slain and sentenced to death, his conscience was hopeless and therefore he answered not knowing Jesus for his own life’s sake.

When moments of accusations rise up, don’t we all try to pull out our proud rooster suit, just to make things look better then what they really are? The judgement-call will bring it all to reality, but don’t let it be to late! The day starts early, so let’s get on with this hopeful truth in Christ!

Funny, when you have kids of your own… you get pushed to the point when back when you were young. I can still hear my dad say: ‘I wonder what you’ll do when you have your own.’ Now when one of the kids refuses to eat for example, he can laugh so hard, because I’m using the same methods he would have. ‘Train up a child in the way it should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.'(Proverbs 22:6) So even the small things count. Now a day’s I like to eat every dish! (except for brussle sprouts 🙂 )

As parents you love your children and you sometimes need the discipline because you do love them. I sometimes feel guilty doing so, because you can relate to those things from your own youth. ‘Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.’ (Hebrews 12:11) It’s amazing how fast you can see the sin in your child’s life, as soon as they start saying ‘no’, it seems to get worse…

Joel 1 verse 3 tells us; ‘Tell your children about it, let your children tell their children and their children another generation.’ What does this mean? Well it’s about the telling of the Bible. Which is full of life experiences, expectations and how to live a godly life. Most important it tells us about love, the love of a Father to His children. And that most wonderful promise that is awaiting us in the life after. A father knows more about life then his son, because he has more life-experience. So does God have the most experience, He’s the One who lived(s) forever! So why not learn from His teachings and tell so to our children? Won’t we all have our children know the Lord? Start them young, their ears will pick up the sweet sounds, their eyes will see your examples and their mouth will proclaim what’s bin said before!

Now I can laugh with my dad about these little incidents, but before – I felt guilty, because I too, had to be trained…

Being depressed is having ‘your strength spend with grief’. Keeping silent, not wanting anyone to talk to you or give you comfort. The deep guilt keeping you lonely, such a loneliness that is so dark, that you feel insecure and far away from the truth. And I could feel – no relief. Standing still in time, my soul was so troubled, not knowing where to go. Running after a made up thought, thinking it was right and good, but not finding relief. You only want to step out of it, hide and be done with it, but you can’t. Not without help… The help you don’t think you need.

All this takes time, it’s a growing progress, like willingly learning how to walk again. It’s tiny steps that bring you closer to the truth again, to have reality sink in. My sins are not hidden, maybe to this world, but not for God; that is reality. Reality is living, being born and one day die again. But the unknown is what we want to know, but not necessary have to. There is no life on earth if you know the unknown, that’s why we live in sin. ‘My sins are not hidden from Thee.’ So you have choices to make, step out of it; ‘confessing your transgressions’ or stay in that dark place and keep your ‘guilty silence’ with a full grieving soul.

But when ‘I confess, then Thou forgavest me.’ Forgiveness, a grace so full of love we don’t deserve. So how powerful is it, when it’s granted to us time and time again. Only God is the One who is capable, and oh – how much a relief on our troubled souls that is!

While I kept guilty silence,

my strength was spent with grief,

Thy hand was heavy on me,

my soul found no relief;

but when I owned my trespress,

my sin hid not from Thee,

when I confessed transgression,

then Thou forgavest me

(Psalm 32:3-6 & Psalter 55:2)