“Congratulations on your anniversary!” I greeted my friend at a recent get-together.
“Thanks!” He glanced over at his wife who was sitting at the other end of the table with her girlfriends. “You know, it is amazing that we are together.”
“How so?”
“When we first met, I was one of the gate supervisors and she was a flight attendant. My only concern is to make sure the passengers get on the plane and any interruptions or disruptions are my responsibility. She was new and slow at her tasks, so I re-assigned her. When she found out what I did, she confronted me and basically chewed me out. She never spoke to me for the next four years.”
“Never?”
“Nope!” He shook his head and smiled. “Then one day, one of the supervisors in another division was celebrating his birthday. It was a destination event and many of us were invited. However, she was not, and I could see that she was dejected. I felt sorry for her and decided to take a chance and invite her.”
“Wow! And what happened?”
He sat back and smiled. “The event went great, and we’ve been together ever since!”
I was astonished. “So how is it that after four years of not talking, an evening together suddenly made everything right?”
“We talked about this. Through those four years, she was observing me. In spite of her initial impressions about me, she saw that I was not the jerk she thought I was. She saw that I was an advocate for the other employees because I was the union rep. She saw that I was always looking out for everyone.”
First impressions, particularly negative ones, are sometimes very difficult to overcome. Simon Peter understood this when he first met Jesus Christ.
Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear!
Luke 5:3-6 (NLT)
One can imagine the sarcastic tone that Simon Peter used when Jesus made that request of him. Oh sure, this carpenter is telling me, a fisherman, how to do my job. The nerve! But when Simon saw the miraculous result, he knew his first impression of Jesus was completely wrong!
When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.”
Luke 5:8 (NLT)
Everyone is deserving of a second chance, me included! I know many initial encounters that others have had with me that did not go as well as I hoped. Thus, whenever I have an unpleasant first impression with someone, I am reminded of Simon Peter’s initial encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ. God is in control of all encounters. Let’s seek to honor Him as ambassadors of Jesus Christ.
Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.
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