Mark 14:27-31

27 “You will all fall away,” Jesus told them, “for it is written:

“‘I will strike the shepherd,
    and the sheep will be scattered.’

28 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

29 Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.”

30 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times.”

31 But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same.

-Mark 14:27-31

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Have you ever felt a great sense of self-confidence? Maybe you felt like you'll definitely ace a test, or you'll definitely get into that college or summer program, or you definitely won't forget to do your homework.

Having confidence in your own abilities is definitely a good thing as you may help yourself stay motivated, or be encouraged to achieve your goals or even exceed them. However, having too much confidence can also be a not so good thing in that it may cloud your judgement or blind you from things that you don't think about or expect.

Peter had always been a disciple that was never afraid to stretch his faith and exercise boldness. We saw this when he stepped out of the boat to walk on water with Jesus, or even when he tried rebuking Jesus in Matthew 16:22. And now we see it again as he expresses his confidence in never disowning Jesus, even if it means his life would be at stake.

Often we may set goals for ourselves to accomplish something. It may be a spiritual goal like to read the bible everyday, pray before every meal, or serve in some capacity you never had before. However, it may also be a non-spiritual goal like working out, eating healthy, going to sleep early, or helping your family at home. When we plan to do these things or even start doing them, we may feel motivated and determined to get it done, and think of how it'll help ourselves or those we are helping. However, often times once it is time to do it or after a period of time, we experience the realities and difficulties and may even give up entirely.

As we will see in a few chapters, this happens exactly to Peter as Jesus's prediction comes true and Peter denies knowing Jesus multiple times. The very thing Peter vowed he'd never do is exactly what he does when different circumstances present themselves. He failed to achieve his goal that he was so confident in.

However, in the long run, Peter's failures and shortcomings ultimately did not cause him to live in guilt forever or feel like he would never be able to succeed in anything anymore. Moreover, his denial and failure to Jesus Himself did not cause him to live in shame of serving Jesus anymore either. Rather, by the grace and strength of God, Peter went on to become an extremely influential and faithful disciple, teacher, and missionary who undoubtedly used his failure in this situation to learn and ultimately grow closer to God.

Similarly, we can look to this passage and Peter's shortcomings to relate to our experiences in failure and over-confidence and be encouraged when they happen that it is not the end. God uses these trials and difficulties to stretch us and teach us, and it is our job to recognize that and allow Him to use these experiences to help us grow. We can recognize our limited abilities, even if we think we have all the abilities we need, and allow God to work in both our failures and success.