"It is the Lord!"

John 21:7 (NIV)
7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, "It is the Lord," he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water.

I just got home from a long (but really good) day. I decided to try to get prepared for church in the morning by bathing Morgan tonight instead of having to rush around tomorrow. I turned on the bath tub water and went to the hall closet to get a towel for Morgan. As soon as I came back in the bathroom (5 seconds later) Morgan had jumped in the tub with all of her clothes and shoes on! I walked in and grinned...it was one of those priceless moments. I immediately thought of Peter (from the Bible). As you know he denied Christ three times and no doubt suffered greatly at his very public betrayal of Jesus Christ. So often I have denied Christ my precious Lord and Savior by my actions or words. Anyway, as you know the disciples are depressed after the death of Jesus and like most of us after big tumbles into a pit of sin, Peter went back to doing what he did before...fishing! Instead of fishing for men he was just fishing. I know at times because of my own sin that I have been tempted to quit and I have often felt that God could not forgive me. I have bought into the lie that I was "done." I love how Christ comes to us in the midst of our grave failure and disappointment. He calls out to the disciples from the shore...they had fished all night and caught nothing. Jesus calls to them...but they don't realize that it is Him. Imagine their frustration and disappointment. Their Savior was gone, they were back to the mundane, they were toiling to no avail and I am sure that they felt "washed up to shore". I have so felt that way and can identify with them. Then Jesus tells them where to throw their nets to catch some fish. Don't you know they had heard that before. I wonder if that made them recognize their Jesus. They caught so many fish that they were unable to haul them in. Then at the climatic point in the story disciple whom Jesus loved (John)...don't you love how he calls himself that??... he tells Peter "It is the Lord!" Don't you know Peters heart pounded as his eyes were opened and he realized that the one he denied was on the shore. Peter wastes no time at all, he puts his outer garment on (he had taken it off) and jumps in the water to swim to Jesus. The disciples followed him in the boat. I want to scream as if this were a movie "Idiots! It is Jesus jump in the water and swim...don't waste your time rowing the boat!" What made my heart so tender to this tonight is how Morgan jumped in the tub with her clothes on. I want to be like that with Jesus...willing to make a fool of myself to bridge the gap between us. When I have blown it and He comes to me...I want to haul butt to the shore. Oh how I love Peter and His passionate love for the Lord in spite of his failures. I want to swim hard to Jesus like Peter. Then, Jesus prepares breakfast for them. So like Jesus, He comes to us when we know that we don't deserve it and we are sinners...he meets us where we are and invites us into fellowship with Him. He restores us and prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies. Oh how I love Him!