Do Regrets Keep You From God’s Love?
Your failure is real—but it is not final. Jesus restores what regret tries to keep buried
Failure can leave a mark that lingers longer than the moment itself.
Peter knew that feeling.
On the night Jesus was arrested, Peter didn’t just stumble—he didn’t simply tell a lie. He denied the Lord Jesus. Three times. Publicly. Emphatically. And when the rooster crowed, Peter remembered—and broke down.
The Gospel of John records, however, that after the resurrection, Peter sees Jesus again. But something is unresolved. The failure still hangs in the air.
So, Jesus addresses it. “When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?’” (John 21:15, ESV).
It’s not a casual question. It’s a direct one. Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him greater than his love for the life he had returned to—fishing.
Peter answers, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Peter replied with a term for love that stopped short of devotion—but he affirmed his friendship with the Lord.
Jesus responds, “Feed my lambs.”
Again, Jesus asks him of his devotion. And Peter replies with friendship. To which Jesus responds, “Tend my sheep.”
Then a third time Jesus asks Peter if he truly loves him as a friend. Peter notices the change in Jesus’ question and “was grieved.” His grief runs deep—his failure rises to the surface, and he feels it fully.
Instead, “Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep” (John 21:17, ESV).
Three questions. Three opportunities. Three restorations.
Jesus doesn’t ignore Peter’s failure—but He doesn’t leave him in it either. He doesn’t ask Peter to relive the denial. He asks him to reaffirm his love.
Because restoration isn’t built on regret—it’s built on relationship.
And notice what Jesus ties to that love: responsibility.
“Feed my sheep.”
Love for Jesus is not just something we feel—it’s something we live.
And if we’re honest, many of us get stuck where Peter could have stayed. We feel the weight of past failure. We replay what we did—or didn’t do. We assume we’ve disqualified ourselves from being useful to God.
But Jesus doesn’t define Peter by his worst moment.
He calls him forward—beyond failure—to renewed purpose and productive service.
The same is true for us. Your failure is real—but it is not final. Jesus doesn’t ask you to prove yourself worthy. He calls you to love Him, to accept His forgiveness—and to move forward in obedience.
Grace doesn’t just forgive—it restores.
Today, stop rehearsing your failure. Tell Jesus you love Him—and take the next step He’s already placed in front of you.
Part of the Easter reflection series: Living in the Reality of the Risen Christ.
- Monday: Forgetting His power
- Tuesday: Misunderstanding His Word
- Wednesday: Demanding proof
- Thursday: Restored to love and purpose
- Friday: Living a new identity
