A Compass Point, Not A Life Sentence: Trauma And The Future Series

This is a video of my grandson Matthew. He is eager to touch the brownie plate.

He’s in his own little world and very interested in what's on the plate, but his Mom won’t let him touch it (to not get baby goo on the food and because it’s a dessert far too high in sugar for him at his age of 10 months).

When Mom takes away the plate of goodies, he starts to cry, but then when he realizes that others are there watching and expressing compassion and understanding, that calms him down. I’m not alone. Others get me.

Watch video again, advance to still of Matthew

Something about the reaction and his sudden awareness of the presence and understanding of others helped him here to regulate his emotions. Pause

It didn’t help that shortly after this his big brother who was almost 4 was allowed by his Mom to take a brownie, and the Matthew gave the classic (hand out - what’s this...injustice). I love that little insight into his growing character.

A character in the Bible who is one of my favourite people in Scripture is Peter.

He is a complicated man in a complicated world, struggling to make sense of his world, and struggling to sort himself out, while making a whole lot of blunders that I find eerily and wonderfully reminiscent of my own life.

Anyone here have a blunder-free life? I can’t relate.

Anyway, Peter had a shoe size that fit perfectly into his mouth and frequently did.

He was always over-promising and under-delivering, not by way of policy, not intending to do this…

Rather he spent a great deal of time learning about himself and putting himself out there, warts and all.

One of the more serious blunders that Peter made actually happened right around this time of year, just before what we know as Good Friday.

He had traveled with Jesus for about three years and had witnessed Jesus being who he was, someone who loved people profoundly,

one who preferred the company of people who knew they were messed up rather than people who thought they had it all together.

He had witnessed Jesus performing multiple impossible healings and liberations and what we would call miracles.

So with that great confidence in Jesus, he at one point, just the night before Jesus was arrested, responded to Jesus saying that all of His disciples would fall away on account of Him, .

Jesus says: Matthew 26:31 “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: “‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’..33 Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” 34 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” 35 But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.”

A short while later Jesus has been arrested and 3 times people come up to him and identify him as being connected to Jesus. The third time Peter begins to call down curses and he swears to them and no uncertain terms “I don’t know the man”.

Anyone recall what happens next? Well, immediately a rooster crowed, and then Peter remembered what Jesus had said and he goes outside and he weeps bitterly.

After this, Peter doesn’t know what to do with himself, so he goes back to the thing that he knew before he met Jesus, which was fishing.

Days later, after Jesus is crucified and is resurrected, Jesus appears to Peter and the other disciples.

Like I said, Peter is fishing and then Jesus stands by the shore and calls out to them, “friends, haven’t you any fish?“ “No”, they say

Jesus tells him to toss the net on the other side of the boat that they’re using and they find a massive amount of fish.

Then a while later they are sitting with Jesus having breakfast, and they all recognize that it is Jesus. This is not the first time they have seen him after the resurrection.

John 21:15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”: Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.