We all need someone we can relate to. Our tendency is to craft heroes and idolize those of higher achievement than our own. We aspire to be like these men and women, believing that one day, with enough effort and moxie, we might become like them. This aspiration is true in all areas of life, including the world of faith.
And to this I give my best efforts and pursue spiritual disciplines to learn and to grow. As the Apostle Paul encouraged, I run as to win the race. Yet for all such efforts, I can still relate more to the failures and sinners than I do the overachievers and saints. In this regard, the disciples prove good company. These were Jesus’ closest friends, ones that he personally chose to mentor and to bear his name. Still In critical moments, they bumbled and stumbled and came up short. These are heroes I can relate to.
We need the full story of our heroes, not just the good ones. We need to see the losses and setbacks as much as the wins. Victories are exhilarating, yet most are preceded by setbacks and losses. And it’s the losses that prepare the soil in which victories can grow. Losing and failure are important to whatever future victories are won. They humble us, clearing the soil of self so something better can grow. We don’t make it our aim to fail or to lose. However, it is helpful to realize that we will lose along the way.
Peter, James and John were Jesus’s closest friends. They had just seen him feed 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two small fish among other signs and wonders. Still a few days later, when Jesus brought them along on a prayer hike up a mountain, they slept while Jesus prayed and missed the moment entirely! When they awoke, they found Jesus, transfigured in blinding light, in discussion with Elijah and Moses.
I’m sure it would have been helpful to listen in on the conversation had they not been snoozing. And if the sleeping wasn’t bad enough, Peter, impetuous as always, began babbling about building monuments. He was off-base and out of touch with the moment. Yet he wasn’t rejected. Instead, he was silenced and stilled by the presence of God that enveloped them and the voice of God that spoke to them. God is so good to us.
I can certainly relate to failure, to prayer that leads to sleep and to not measuring up to the moment. I can also relate to not knowing what to do or to say. It’s helpful to know the same is true of our heroes. They may achieve great things, but they also fail. Knowing this encourages me when I do the same. Jesus is the only perfect hero. The rest are flawed just like you and me. Purpose to keep getting back up no matter how many times you fall and purpose to never give up on yourself. God certainly doesn’t.