The Call to Simon Peter and Andrew

Peter was always thinking, and he always thought with a view toward action. When he heard “question,” he immediately thought “answer.” When he observed “problem,” he thought “solution.” When he encountered “options,” he thought “decision.” But he also demonstrated the unfortunate side of that same characteristic. When he heard “silence,” he thought “talk.” When he encountered “disagreement,” he thought “challenge.” “Error” (or at least Peter’s perception of error) sparked “correction.

Peter was the man called by Jesus, from being Simon a read, to Peter the rock. Jesus said, upon this Rock of revelation, he would build his church. Peter had a complete revelation of who Jesus was and became a great leader to those who were under his care.

Peter urges us to take a different and better route, given to us by Jesus. He tells us to humbly wait for God to exalt us. Such submission can create impatience, even anxiety. In his younger years, Peter exercised little constraint, and his answers, solutions, decisions and speech sometimes strike the reader as buffoonish. At times his behavior was perceived as insensitive, unconsidered and immature. But like many great leaders, Peter survived himself.

We can take a lot of learning out of the life of Peter. He was not perfect but He was committed to His call and He was very successful at it. We too can practice patience and allow ourselves to grow so we can fulfill the call of God on our lives.