The Poser
But he (Peter) said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same…But he (Peter) began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.” And immediately the rooster crowed a second time…And he broke down and wept. (Mark 14:31, 71-72 ESV)
Sometimes we pretend to be tougher, wiser, or smarter than we actually are. We do this to raise our status with those around us, or we might be insecure. However, there are times in life when you get “found out.” We struggle when we realize we are the poser. We have an ability to deceive ourselves into thinking we are something we are not, but when we are found out we become angry, sad, anxious, fearful, or depressed. We blame others for not aligning with our views.
Peter had this moment. He thought he was brave and loyal. He postured like he would never deny Jesus and then in a mere matter of hours a servant girl and some bystanders were able to get Peter to deny Jesus three times. What happened in those few hours? What changed this tough talking man into a coward?
How deeply do you believe in Jesus? This made the difference for Peter, he believed Jesus was the Messiah, but that belief did not carry him through Jesus’ arrest and trial. It is understandable. Peter, like all the other followers of Jesus, was afraid. After his denial, he wept, he thought this would be the last work on the matter of Jesus.
It is disorienting when we are found out; when someone knows we are a poser. It is tempting to try to reshape that person’s view of us. The pain we feel is for our benefit, however. It allows us to finally be truthful to ourselves. Will we continue to believe a lie, or will we be set free by that truth…the deep truth?
Spend some time thinking about the way you deceive yourself and others? Take a look at your own social media posts and text messages…do these speak the truth? How will you become more truthful with yourself and others? How do you try to frame what others think about you? Why?
Sometimes we pretend to be tougher, wiser, or smarter than we actually are. We do this to raise our status with those around us, or we might be insecure. However, there are times in life when you get “found out.” We struggle when we realize we are the poser. We have an ability to deceive ourselves into thinking we are something we are not, but when we are found out we become angry, sad, anxious, fearful, or depressed. We blame others for not aligning with our views.
Peter had this moment. He thought he was brave and loyal. He postured like he would never deny Jesus and then in a mere matter of hours a servant girl and some bystanders were able to get Peter to deny Jesus three times. What happened in those few hours? What changed this tough talking man into a coward?
How deeply do you believe in Jesus? This made the difference for Peter, he believed Jesus was the Messiah, but that belief did not carry him through Jesus’ arrest and trial. It is understandable. Peter, like all the other followers of Jesus, was afraid. After his denial, he wept, he thought this would be the last work on the matter of Jesus.
It is disorienting when we are found out; when someone knows we are a poser. It is tempting to try to reshape that person’s view of us. The pain we feel is for our benefit, however. It allows us to finally be truthful to ourselves. Will we continue to believe a lie, or will we be set free by that truth…the deep truth?
Spend some time thinking about the way you deceive yourself and others? Take a look at your own social media posts and text messages…do these speak the truth? How will you become more truthful with yourself and others? How do you try to frame what others think about you? Why?
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