For me, the words that Jesus spoke to Peter after His resurrection do resonate for me. Peter is asked the same question three times… I wondered about that until I realized that this related to the three times that Peter had denied Jesus. This was a form of restoration for Peter.
“… Jesus said to Peter, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more
than these (pointing to the others who were with them)?’ He said to
Him, ‘Yes, Lord, You know that I love you.’ He said to him, ‘Feed My
lambs.’ He said to him again a second time, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do
you love Me?’ He said to Him, ‘ ‘Yes, Lord, ‘You know that I love You.’
He said to him ‘Tend My sheep.’ He said to him the third time, “Simon,
son of Jonah, do you love Me?’ Peter was grieved because He said to
him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’ And he said to Him, ‘Lord, You
know all things. You know that I love You.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed
My sheep.” (John 21:15-17)
Restoration is the method of re-establishing relationship. However, it isn’t something we can accomplish… except as we publicly proclaim Jesus as our Lord. And one of the greatest benefits from our act is restoration. It can also be our (next) assignment. It was in Peter’s life – feed, tend the Lord’s lambs/sheep. Not only did Peter receive his assignment, he was elevated in leadership. The main point though, in my estimation, is that this provided the basis to restore the relationship.
When we are called into a relationship with the Lord… I don’t believe it is to be on the whim of the moment nor superficial. He knows all in the first place so trying to be evasive is a waste of time. I also don’t believe that He wants us to try and be less than we’re empowered to Be. He really is attempting to help us Be all we can be as well as become and to Do all we are capable of doing. One of the first tasks in this is to know ourselves… as completely as we allow ourselves to know us.
Knowing yourself, all the positive as well as negative, arms us to combat those forces arraigned against us to cause us to give up and/or give in. How tragic when we fall for the lies or allow our strengths to become a point of pride and thus a fall. Restoration places our feet firmly on the ground in precisely the right place for us to walk in our relationship with assurance. And, to accomplish the assignment we have been given.
We all slip, fall, skin our knee, make mistakes, etc. as we walk on our path in this life. While we are walking toward perfection, we don’t achieve the breadth now. This is why we need to know that restoration can occur for us. It isn’t a license, nor an excuse. But when it’s needed, it is inestimable in value.
