The Plus Sign, the Pause, and the God Who Never Denies Us

Kimberlea Hardy
Mar 19
5 min read

I felt a bit off. Something just wasn’t right with my body. I was a little achy and would get nauseous after eating. I remember thinking, I can’t possibly be pregnant already when we just started trying. The doctor had said it could take years before I had a baby.

After arguing with myself for several days, I decided to talk to my husband. We agreed that I should buy a pregnancy test. Those were the longest three minutes of our lives. As the plus sign started to appear the color faded from my husband’s face. Still in denial, I told my husband we would wait a week and test again.

I was excited but scared. This wasn’t part of our plan. I wasn’t supposed to be pregnant yet. The week trudged on, and the day to test again finally arrived. In a matter of seconds, the plus sign shone brightly. Ready or not, we would soon be parents to a bouncing baby boy.

Denial is not a river we want to swim in. We have all been denied or denied someone or something at some point in our lives. When we are rejected, it hurts. We tend to shut people out of our lives when they hurt us. Yet there is one person who walked this earth who never shut others out, even when they rejected Him.

His name is Jesus.

Peter’s Denial

“Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’” (John 13:33, ESV)

Peter responds just as a child would. He asks Jesus where He is going and why he can’t go with Him. Peter wants to go with Jesus because he loves Him and believes in the ministry and miracles he has witnessed. He boastfully speaks of his loyalty and tells Jesus he will die for Him.

Jesus replies with His own question and then predicts what will happen on the night of His betrayal. The night Jesus is put on trial is a difficult night for His apostles, especially the three that went farther into the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus predicts the apostles will scatter, and He tells Peter he will deny Him three times. (Mark 14:27, Luke 22:31 ESV) Before they leave to pray, Jesus warns Peter that Satan demanded to sift him like wheat.

Jesus tells them to stay awake and pray while He goes a little farther in the garden to pray alone. He gets up twice from praying and both times finds the three of them sleeping.

The first time Jesus returns, He tells Peter to stay awake and pray so he will not fall into temptation. He reminds Peter that the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Jesus is warning him that he was about to be tempted, but Peter is so out of it that he did not understand.

The second time Jesus returns, He finds them sleeping again. They do not know how to answer Him. Jesus left them again and goes back to pray for God’s will to be done, asking if at all possible, to not let Him die on the cross.

When Jesus finishes praying, He goes back to the three apostles, and they are still sleeping. He tells them it is time to wake up. The time has come and His betrayer (Judas) is on the way.

Just as Jesus predicted, when He is arrested the apostles run away in fear. Peter, however, follows them to the courtyard of the Sanhedrin where he stood at a distance. And just as Jesus predicted, Peter denies Him three times.

At some point as followers of Jesus, we have denied Him too. Sometimes it looks like putting money, jobs, or family first. Sometimes it is completely walking away from Him. However, most of the time we are unaware that we have stopped putting Jesus first in our lives. It can take Him shaking us up a bit to realize we strayed.

When we recognize we have strayed, we need to ask for forgiveness and “take up our cross”.

Take Up Your Cross

In Luke’s account, Jesus looks at Peter the third time he denies Him. I wonder if Peter felt guilt and shame in that moment. I can imagine the hurt, sorrow, and love in Jesus’s eyes. He knew Peter had just denied Him for the third time, just as He had predicted.

Peter immediately wept. He remembered what Jesus had told him and was remorseful. Peter had a decision to make. He could do as Jesus had instructed him to do or he could walk away from his calling to make more disciples.

We know that Peter decided to take up his cross and fulfill his calling.

Cross and Bible in the sand with words take up your cross and pray created by author in Canva

What Taking Up Our Cross Looks Like Today

When we take up our cross, we choose to focus on Jesus. The simplicity of that statement is almost ironic. Many modern-day churches will emphasize that once we are saved, life will become easier with Jesus. It does not say that anywhere in the Bible. In fact, Jesus tells His disciples, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Jesus tells them there will be trouble, but He has overcome the world and will give them peace. We can expect the same. We will face temptations and we will have trials. Our way through both is to keep our eyes on Jesus.

How do we stay focused on Jesus?

· Prayer: Talk to Jesus daily. We are to pray without ceasing. (1 Thess. 5:17, ESV)

· Reading the Bible: Scripture teaches us who God is and how we are to live as followers of Jesus.

· Studying the Bible: As we grow in our faith, we want to expand our knowledge of scripture and apply it to our lives.

· Worship: Worship is more than listening to Christian music. It is the way we live our lives.

· Alone Time: Alone time or what I call quiet time with Jesus is designated time to sit still and listen for His voice.

· Meditation: We fill our minds with scripture. Try to memorize a verse or read a verse aloud several times.

· Fasting: Fast from whatever distracts you from Jesus. It may be food, technology, or a busy schedule. The goal is to refocus on Jesus.

· Watchfulness: We are to be alert and watch for the schemes of the devil. He wants nothing more than to steal, kill and destroy our lives.

Practicing these disciplines will not keep denial, temptations or trials away. They are a part of our journey here on earth. These practices will align our hearts with Jesus and help us take up our cross daily. When we stay focused on Him, we find the strength to follow Him even when it is hard, just as Peter did after his moment of denial. Like Peter, we can rise again and walk out the calling God has placed on our lives.