neither success or failure is important

Mark 8:33  But when Jesus turned and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter.  “Get behind me, Satan!” he said.  “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

And why wouldn’t Peter have the things in mind of man?  Is he not a man?

We can be crushed by expectations.  Peter was only trying to help.  And yet, Jesus wanted him to act in a particular way that was completely foreign to who he was as a man.

And as we continue to read along Peter’s journey, Peter didn’t grow disheartened by the discouragement but he kept going, kept tagging along with Jesus. 

Not too much time went by before Peter stood by the fire, denying with curses that he ever knew Jesus.  But as we continue reading, despite his failures and lack of understanding, he keeps going and tagging along with Jesus.  Peter never seemed to live up to the expectations that surrounded him but he also didn’t allow that to keep him from growing and moving forward.

People will always place expectations on our lives.  Sometimes with unreasonable expectations, sometimes with fair expectations.  Sometimes we will achieve.  Sometimes we will fail.  But neither of those things are what is important.  What is important is that we keep going.