Recently I was reading the story about Peter's denial of Jesus Christ.  There was a phrase that caught my attention.  The Bible says that Peter followed Jesus "from a distance." I thought about that.  Now before you think I'm going to go bashing Peter, give me a minute. 

What I was thinking about was why Peter followed Jesus "from a distance."  His concerns were real.  His fears justified.  He loved Jesus with all his heart, but he saw the potential for pain, suffering, and judgment if he got too close.  The problem was not his thinking or his heart.  The problem was his faith.  Did he still trust Jesus to take care of him even when it didn't appear that Jesus could take care of himself?  Once again Peter was out of the boat (he still followed Jesus when others had completely left), in the storm of his life (with everyone around talking about the arrest and possible execution of Jesus), and had his eyes focused on the situation instead of the master of the situation.  Ultimately, his "following at a distance" got him into trouble and lead to his failure.

How are we following Jesus?  Are we following close or "at a distance?" It's not that we want to be at a distance, but situations get in the way.  It's not that those situations aren't real or important.  They are.  They cause us to fear, to focus on them, instead of on the master of every situation in our lives. 

We have to work, to make a living.  We have to study.  We have to do the necessary things.  We have to meet with our friends, make time for a little recreation.  We have to ... ... ... so many things.  Our heart has been hurt.  Our trust has been violated.  Our hopes have turned into disappointments.  Our dreams into despair.   These emotions are real.  These events happened.  There is nothing wrong with our thinking or with how we feel.  There is just something wrong with our faith.  Like Peter we are focused on the wrong things. 

The concern?  That if we follow at a distant, we will stumble and fail when times of trial and testing come about.  We can not "follow at a distance" and still follow well.  Ultimately, we lose sight of the Master.  We fail to hear His voice.  We become frightened, angry or disoriented and lose our way.  In some small, or possibly significant, way we end up disappointing and denying Christ.

Let me encourage you to follow Him closely.  Don't let the other things get in the way.  Make the radical decision to follow as closely as you can.  Determine to keep your eyes on the Master of your life's situations and not on the situations themselves.  Live the radical life of a true follower of Jesus Christ. 

And if you have failed (like who of us hasn't), then look back at the story of Peter again.  The Bible says that when Peter denied Jesus, at that very moment, Jesus looked at Peter.  In the midst of all that was happening to Him and around Him, Jesus cared enough about Peter to notice him, and, as we learn later, to forgive Him.  Jesus' love never gives up on you.  His love and his forgiveness never, never, never ends. He still calls to you come back, come close, and follow Him again.

Doing this alone is impossible.  But we are not alone.  Christ is always with us, and we are to walk this path together, in unity and in love. Together, with the empowering of the Holy Spirit, and with His love working through us we can the life He has called us to live.

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