After this, he went outside the city gate and wept bitterly.

We all look at this moment in the Bible as Peter’s fall from grace. At this moment, Peter has denied not only Christ the Lord, but also his best friend, his mentor, his leader, the man who saw him in a boat and said, “Hey, I think you can change the world.”

This was the man who said, “You are the rock, and on you I’ll build my kingdom.” This is the man who healed his gravely ill mother-in-law. He’d watched hundreds of miracles at Jesus’ hands, but in that moment of confrontation, what did he do?

He denied Him.

And then he had to look Him in the face — Jesus had seen and heard the whole thing.

How do you bounce back after that? When you’ve let God down so blatantly, you’ve acted so wrongly that you’ve disgraced Him, what do you do?

In my experience, fall at His feet and grieve. Confess, weep, let it all out. But then know this: It’s forgiven. It was wiped out on the cross. God can still build His kingdom on you.

There is no one who is too far gone. Not one person on this world isn’t just a forgiveness away from being in eternity with Christ, no matter what the sin. God loves an underdog, and he loves a redemption story.

You know what I think? I don’t think there will be judgement of sins in Heaven for God’s people. Why? Because our sins were erased by His sacrifice. What I think it WILL be, though, is a review of our kindnesses and love when the time comes. It will be a thorough review of our hearts, and how we used them to glorify God.

“Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks Yours,” the song says.

The words were forgiven as soon as Peter spoke them. But what if he had held on to that separation from Jesus as proof that he would never be good enough. What if he had said, “I’m not worthy of being used by God?”

The world would look different, wouldn’t it?

Just because you failed Him doesn’t mean you’ve failed. Go outside the city walls and cry, and then get ready to build the church in His name. You’re redeemed. Act like it.