Do you ever feel like you’ll never be “good enough” to do anything worthwhile for the Lord? I feel that way all the time. Recently, God has challenged me to step out and to use my talents and gifts for Him. My response? “But Lord, who am I? I yell at my husband, cry at the drop of a hat, suffer from extreme road rage, get upset with people and spout off all the time! What can I do for you?”

I’m working on these issues, but it is a long, slow process. I’m not perfect, but does that mean I can’t do anything at all for Jesus? Does that mean that I have to sit back in a corner, trying to deal with my flaws, and never step out in the calling that God has for me? In short, no!

It’s why I love Peter. Peter had a temper. He spouted off the mouth. He even lopped off someone’s ear! Yep, my kind of guy. After spending three years with Jesus, witnessing His miracles and experiencing His love first hand, when it came down to crunch time, Peter denied that he knew Jesus. Let’s be honest: Peter is relatable.

But what I love the most about Peter is that he didn’t let his many shortcomings prevent him from living out his faith. He messed up, repented, and moved on with his life. His focus wasn’t on ways in which he was lacking; his focus was on the calling that God had on his life. I’m positive that Peter must have received criticism from those close to him – maybe even from some of the other disciples. Who knows? But Peter loved Jesus and didn’t let anything stop him from getting up, dusting himself off, and moving on with life.

God loves me. He has a plan for my life. I’m a mess but despite that, the Bible says that “In His grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well” and that we are to do those things to the best of our ability (Romans 12:6-8). If I wait until I am perfect before I pursue God’s calling on my life, I’ll be sitting in a corner twiddling my thumbs until the day I die. The only way to grow is by stepping out in obedience, regardless of your qualifications or lack thereof.

So enemy, take your discouragement and shove it where the sun don’t shine. There is a world that needs to know Jesus. My destiny is to let them know about Him. I’m taking a lesson from Peter. And as I pursue Jesus with all my heart and step out in obedience to Him, He will change me “from glory to glory”. It’s a promise.

” And we, who with unveiled faces reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness from glory to glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)