What choice will you make?

      Mark 14: 72  Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.”And he broke down and wept.      

       I can not imagine the betrayal Jesus felt as He was denied by one of his closest friends. Being rejected by anyone hurts, but if you have ever felt betrayed by a family member or best friend, you know that the pain cuts deep.  
        When I read this story in Mark 14, I always find myself wondering how I would have handled Peter's situation.  Some days, I feel that I would be able to stand up for Christ. Other times when I truly put myself in Peter's place, I wonder if I would have also succumb to the fear of death and torture. Would I have caused Jesus that same pain? Thankfully, most of us living in the United States have not been pressed with this same life or death situation. However, we are all still faced with the choice to acknowledge or deny Christ.
         We are often asked the same question Peter was given; however it is masked in different forms. Like Peter, we have to option to identify with Christ, or choose to ignore that we know Him. Sometimes, the question is disguised as choosing to participate in underage drinking at a party.  Sometimes it comes in the form of a guy or even a boyfriend who wants to go a little too far. Other times the choice is a decision about what kind of language to use, or even what picture to post on Instagram. In each of these life situations we are asked the same question Peter was given, and we have a choice to deny Christ or to acknowledge Him. Even though we are not always giving a verbal answer, our actions answer just as loudly. 
     Think of the ways today that you are choosing to acknowledge or deny Christ in your own life. If the mask of the situation is taken off, what answer are your actions giving? Do you choose to acknowledge Christ? Or do you deny Him? Are you somewhere in between, acknowledging Him on Sundays and denying Him on Friday night? Do you reflect Him in your social media accounts, or does your Instagram look like the rest of the world's? It is easy to judge Peter in this passage of Scripture, because he was given a direct question, but if we are honest, we each face Peter's test in our own lives, and we too have the choice to either acknowledge or deny Christ. 
      Just like the servant girl was watching Peter, you are also being watched by those around you. They may not be directly asking you if you know Christ, but you can be sure that they are taking note of your actions. Be careful how you are living your life, and the choices you are making. They say more about you than know. You have a choice today and everyday to acknowledge Christ or Deny Him. What choice will you make? 


Photography by Sophie Brendle