Dear Family and Friends,

I hope everyone enjoyed their Easter. We attended the in-person (outdoor and very spaced out) service at our daughter’s church in Torrance.

It was our first church service in over a year and it felt great. I actually paused during worship several times to stop myself from crying.

The message was really good too. The only thing missing was greeting others with hugs and handshakes, which is the absolute best part of going to church. 

Today, I want to share the message God sent me yesterday. I was finishing the post resurrection portion of the Gospel of John when I came across the familiar story of Peter’s encounter with Jesus on the shore of the lake. You know the one where Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love Me?”

Now, I’m not sure about you but when I read this story before, I always focused on Jesus restoring Peter from his thrice denials. 

As my mind drifted to the scene, rather than seeing Peter sitting with Jesus, I saw myself. This time, Jesus was asking me the same question – Do you love Me?

But instead of three times, Jesus kept asking me the same question over and over again.

It was then that I realized what Jesus was meaning to say. Peter was not the only one who denied Jesus.

I have as well, and by Jesus’ count, many times more than three. I share this story transparently because I don’t believe I’m here at the lakeside alone.

Denying Jesus is so much more than denying, like Peter, with words.

We can deny Jesus with our thoughts, our actions and in our hearts as well.

Do you remember this verse? “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” Matthew 16:24-26.

When we don’t deny ourselves, we are not truly following Jesus. We deny Jesus is our Lord.

Allow me to give you a quick example of denying ourselves. Have you ever been wronged by someone? We all have, many times.

Have we forgiven all of them? Ah well, I may be holding back on a few.

How about you? It’s impossible to love someone and resent them at the same time. It’s hard to deny ourselves, to give up our right to be right, all because Jesus asks us to forgive and commands us to love. 

But by forgiving one another in love, we make room for our own forgiveness by Jesus.

How can we tell when we’ve forgiven someone? When we no longer see the other as one who hurt us.

We instead see the other in the same way Jesus sees and loves them, as a sheep in need of a shepherd.

In love always,