Mom, You're Embarrassing Me!

                I understand now why my mom always said that she never wanted to do anything to embarrass me. My son cannot even speak yet, but his opinion is very important to me. I do not think we understand as teenagers how painful it must be for our parents if they think their children do not love them anymore (even if they know it is only for a short time). As much as my son’s opinion means to me, my husband’s opinion means more. All he has to do is look at me wrong for me to get hurt. If he forgets to call or gets upset with me for a day, my whole world feels grey. If we know that the way we talk to and about those we love matters so much to them, why do we act like God does not care what we say about Him?

                At the end of Matthew 26, Peter denies having known Jesus. To Peter’s defense, all the disciples had scattered at this point but Peter followed Jesus to see what would happen to Him. Peter was not from the area so he stuck out in the crowd. He had forgotten his promises to Jesus that he would die rather than stop following Christ, and people started to corner him. They accused him of knowing Jesus and were probably ready to throw him in prison for it, but Peter denied knowing Him three times before realizing what he was doing. When he realized what he had done, he wept.

                I think we deny knowing God more often than we even realize. If I run into a stranger who ask, “What caused you to move to this area?” I will most often tell them we moved because of family or career opportunities. If someone in church asks the same question, I tell them the truth that my husband and I prayed about it and felt this is where the Lord wanted us to come. I read the Bible every morning, pray every day, and trust the Lord to provide for my family and keep us safe, but I will rarely admit these things to others for fear of judgment. Even other people who know God will often look down on those who have faith in God because we have this false impression that faith in God promotes laziness and apathy.

                In what other ways do I deny God through my words and actions and how can I keep myself from being ashamed of the gospel? Do I really believe that God is the most important part of my life? Do I really believe He is able to protect me from the harsh judgments of those around me?

                God, please forgive me for denying You in my life. Please help me to live boldly for You and to be honest about my relationship with You. Help me to spread the truth with love and sensitivity. Amen.