Jenn Kish

He could see the Savior, yet he was still afraid of the soldiers. Peter, that is.

I imagine you can recall a time when fear convinced you to do something you hadn’t planned on doing. Such is the case with our dear friend, Peter, in the denial of Jesus. You’ve heard the story but today I want you to read through the passage.

Luke 22:54-62

Then they seized him (Jesus) and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house, and Peter was following at a distance. 55 And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. 56 Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” 57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” 58 And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” 59 And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly.

Now go back and read verse 61 and just sit on that for a moment. “And the Lord turned and looked at Peter.”

Well, that stings a bit.

I can imagine Peter’s face becoming hot, maybe red. He wept openly and bitterly. He can not make sense of what has transpired. He is in the midst of the most uncertain time of his life and when questioned about the most important person in his life he denies knowing him. And while Jesus has tried to prepare him (and the others) for what is happening, one can never be fully prepared for this type of thing.

Now Peter was not a half-hearted follower of Christ. He had been a companion, walking away from his own plans to follow Jesus. In the same evening that Peter had drawn his sword to fight for Jesus he hid his face to deny him. This makes Peter so real to me, so human, so…me.

So me.

I will openly praise God for his provision and faithfulness while trusting in my own savings. And the Savior’s eyes meet mine.

I will sing of how I want him to draw me deeper into trusting and cry out when I feel out of control. And the Savior’s eyes meet mine.

I will teach about his miracles and seek out my own solutions. And the Savior’s eyes meet mine.

I will meditate on his words of faith, hope and security and worry about what tomorrow holds. And the Savior’s eyes meet mine.

I will read about his unfailing love and neglect his presence because I wonder how he could love someone like me. And the Savior’s eyes meet mine.

I am Peter.

And the Savior’s eyes meet mine.

I believe, Jesus. Help my unbelief. ❤

For the record, and I’m no doctor, but no, a man can not get pregnant.

As a woman who has carried and delivered 6 precious children I take great offense to the blending of lines and blurring of differences between man and woman.

Women were created on purpose. God saw that man had no suitable helper. He put Adam to sleep and created someone for him. He did not create another man- not a buddy or a brother- who created someone different- a woman.

Woman was created with purpose. She wasn’t an afterthought, she was a planned creation who brought completion to God’s design.

And what is the world without woman? My husband says if it wasn’t for me he’d live in a house with brown walls and floors. He means that I bring the color to his world.

I’ve always loved that thought.

But what if women are not valued for our differences from men? What if our pursuit of sameness morphs us all into the identical beings.

And then there is the biology of it all. Excuse my desire to be very blunt here- I have been married for 21 years. Our marital activities have produced many pregnancies and somehow it was always me. My husband never once turned up pregnant.

So, no, men cannot become pregnant.

And my womanhood cannot be hijacked by the culture.

My identity rests in who God created me to be. It gives me purpose. It gives me direction. It brings color to a brown world.

And, I’m no doctor, but I’m certain that men cannot become pregnant.