My sister’s grandmother by marriage collected roosters. She had them all over her house. I was only in her home a couple times, and it was a long time ago, but I remember being overwhelmed. Figurines, pillows, curtains, blankets, plates . . . I even think her wallpaper had roosters on it! The place was saturated.

When I asked about her obsession, the family told me how impacted she was by the story of Peter. She collected roosters because she never wanted to deny Christ the way Peter did.

For those how may not remember the story, I’ll recap.

Peter was one of Jesus’s favored followers. He went everywhere with him during his ministry and seemed to be a leader among the crew of disciples. Shortly before Jesus would be crucified, he warned Peter that he would deny him three times, all before the rooster crowed at dawn. Peter, confident in himself and his devotion, argued that he would never do that. Then Jesus was arrested, beaten, put on trial. Peter followed along at a distance. He wanted to see what happened to his dear friend and rabbi, but he was also afraid of what would happen to him if people knew who he was. So he lied. When people recognized him as a disciple of Jesus, he argued. Said he wasn’t. He was given three chances to confess loyalty to Jesus; three times he denied it. Even cursed to dispel the association. And then the rooster crowed.

A lot of people look at this story and tsk over Peter’s failure. They do the same with the story of walking on water.

Do you remember that one? Jesus walked on water to meet the disciples who were in a boat in the middle of a lake. When they saw him, Peter suggested that, if it was really Jesus (and not some ghost or apparition), then he should invite Peter to walk on water, too. Jesus indulged him, and Peter stepped out of the boat. He took a few miraculous steps, but when Peter looked at the wind and the waves, he started to sink. He cried out, and Jesus saved him.

We read that story and shake our heads. He should have kept his eyes on Jesus. Why didn’t Peter believe? Why was his faith so weak?

I wonder if we sometimes focus too much on failures. Peter’s denial. His fear and insecurity. Thomas’s doubt. Zechariah’s questions. Rahab’s pre-conversion profession. I mean, we could call her Rahab of Great Faith who Saved the Spies, but more often than not, she’s just called Rahab the Prostitute. Judas Iscariot is known only as The Betrayer, which he was, but we never talk about how he left everything he knew to follow Jesus for three years. Or how he was so stricken with shame and guilt after the betrayal that he threw away a fortune and committed suicide.

We could be better about balancing the good and the bad in people’s stories—our own included. But even the best parts of us, our greatest successes, are not the point of the story.

Do you remember what happened after Peter’s denial before the crucifixion? Immediately after he looked toward Jesus, they made eye contact, and the rooster crowed. Peter ran and wept. Then Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead and… Yeah. But I’m talking about after the Big Story. What happened next?

Peter went back to fishing. He decided his failure was too great and his career as a rabbi’s apprentice were over. Doomed. No future there. He had disqualified himself.

Jesus had different plans.

While Peter was out fishing, Jesus set up a picnic on the beach. He blessed Peter with a grand catch of fish! And then they ate together. And then Jesus told Peter that he would be the one to build the church. Peter! The one who doubted Jesus, who argued with him, who took his eyes off the Lord, who was impulsive and fearful and sometimes too brazen, who denied Jesus multiple times, who gave up on his calling—This same Peter was still chosen! God still had plans for him. God still wanted him. God still would bless him and do good things through him for future generations.

When Grandma passed away, her family had to do something with all those roosters. I am honored to have received one. It sits in a bay window of my kitchen, a treasure and a testimony. 

When I see it, I don’t think of Peter’s failure. I don’t have a pinch in my spirit warning me to never be like him. 

When I see that rooster, I think of God’s forgiveness. I think of GRACE. I think of how Jesus kept choosing Peter, again and again, no matter how many times he messed up. And I think how that same grace and forgiveness and long-suffering patience is available to me, too.

God knows who I am. He knows I will fail. But I also know who he is. And I know that his goodness is greater than my imperfections, greater than all my mistakes combined. If God wants to use me, he will.

And THAT is what it’s about. Not how bad we are, but how good he is. Not how hard we try or how close we might get to looking the part, but how kind and patient he is with our efforts. It’s not about Peter or you or me. It’s about how much God loves us. Again and again and again. No strings attached.