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Living within the lines

A bold white line on the right side of my lane and a bright yellow line on the other side.  Orange cones warning me about fresh paint.  I was driving down a freshly striped road. Great.  Now I have to really focus and make sure I donā€™t veer out of my lane.  I felt a little nervous. If I veered just a little bit, wellā€¦Iā€™d be creating a disaster.

If you have ever driven over fresh road striping paint, or seen a car that has, you know it really ruins a carā€™s paint job.  Please let me stay within the lines.  That was my prayer. 

Isnā€™t that how we sometimes try to live our lives?  Staying within the lines so we can have proof that we are doing it right?  I go outside the lines so many times.  It is easy to do and I donā€™t even recognize it at times because I just go about my merry way.  Yet, I veer off in seemingly simple ways.  By comparing myself to others, by putting myself down, through my attitude toward others, my words, my actionsā€¦shall I go on?   

I thought about Peter and how he went outside the lines.  Before Jesus was crucified, Peter denied who he was three times.  How outside the lines was that?  Yet Jesus offered Peter a way to be restored.  In John 21 we read how Jesus interacted with Peter with three questions, entering the mess Peter was in and replacing it with grace.  

Jesus does the same for us.  The lines of life can be difficult to maneuver, and it is easy to cross the lines.  Yet if we turn our thoughts to Christ, when we do veer off and make a mess, he meets us there.  He meets us in the mess with his grace and mercy, ready to restore us. 

Lord, help me when I make of mess of it and veer off into my own desires.  Rescue me and restore me and bring me to a place of love, where I can find rest in your arms.

The road I was on...

The story of Peter and Jesus.  John 21
Later, Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee.[a] This is how it happened. Several of the disciples were thereā€”Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin),[b] Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples.
Simon Peter said, ā€œIā€™m going fishing.ā€
ā€œWeā€™ll come, too,ā€ they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.
At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldnā€™t see who he was. He called out, ā€œFellows,[c] have you caught any fish?ā€
ā€œNo,ā€ they replied.
Then he said, ā€œThrow out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and youā€™ll get some!ā€ So they did, and they couldnā€™t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.
Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, ā€œItā€™s the Lord!ā€ When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore. The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about a hundred yards[d] from shore. When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for themā€”fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread.
10 ā€œBring some of the fish youā€™ve just caught,ā€ Jesus said. 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadnā€™t torn.
12 ā€œNow come and have some breakfast!ā€ Jesus said. None of the disciples dared to ask him, ā€œWho are you?ā€ They knew it was the Lord.13 Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish. 14 This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead.
15 After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, ā€œSimon son of John, do you love me more than these?[e]ā€
ā€œYes, Lord,ā€ Peter replied, ā€œyou know I love you.ā€
ā€œThen feed my lambs,ā€ Jesus told him.
16 Jesus repeated the question: ā€œSimon son of John, do you love me?ā€
ā€œYes, Lord,ā€ Peter said, ā€œyou know I love you.ā€
ā€œThen take care of my sheep,ā€ Jesus said.
17 A third time he asked him, ā€œSimon son of John, do you love me?ā€
Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, ā€œLord, you know everything. You know that I love you.ā€
Jesus said, ā€œThen feed my sheep.
18 ā€œI tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others[f] will dress you and take you where you donā€™t want to go.ā€ 19 Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, ā€œFollow me.ā€


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