inkhorn

Personally, I’ve never actually seen a chicken without a head, but having witnessed its counterpart (with its head firmly on), squawking and flapping at the least provocation, I can empathise with it perfectly! You can mouth platitudes and imagine that you really believe them – until life hits you in the face and then you end up like the aforementioned chicken! Well, I was anyway. And “was” being the operative word, I find myself writing this. They say you’ll know that you are obeying God and doing His will when you feel peace. So, what happens if I don’t? I mean, do honest questions and doubts reflect a lack of peace and hence, not being in God’s will? What is “peace”? And much more basic, how will I know God’s will? I mean, what if I miss hearing His voice? Like when I’m reading the Bible and I overlook a verse, which would have shown me clearly what I had to do! I know I will obey Him – but what if I don’t even know what to do? (This was all part of my headless chicken routine!)...

I’ve always had a soft corner for the apostle Peter. He seems so vulnerable and human, prone to mood swings and grand gestures. In spite of the mistakes and blunders he makes, one thing that I appreciate is his sincerity. Also the fact that, several times, he puts into words, exactly what everyone else is thinking but is too afraid to say! In the fifth chapter of Luke, when Jesus told Peter to go back to sea and let down his nets again, he must have experienced several emotions – irritation (because they had already spent a fruitless night and had just finished washing their nets!); doubt (as this Man seemed to know more about expounding Scripture rather than being an authority on fishing!), and a lack of hope, but, underlining it all, a sense that he ought to obey Him. His reply is typically Peteresque – “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at your word I will let down the net.” I wonder if he believed at all that they would catch anything. I wouldn’t...