Sometimes we feel as if we have to be perfect in order for God to work in our lives.We tell ourselves that we can’t have any failings and that mistakes are not an option. Which is, of course, untrue, but it’s hard to keep life in perspective, especially when talking about our own shortcomings.

In a New Testament lecture this week, we discussed the Gospel of Mark. One line in Mark is written differently than it appears in the other three Gospels.

“But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’” – Mark 16:7

In the other Gospels, the women at the tomb are simply instructed to “go tell the disciples” that Jesus has risen from the dead. So, why are the two added words, “and Peter”, so significant in Mark?

Peter had denied Christ. He felt like a failure, unworthy and unforgivable. By instructing the women to tell the disciples and Peter, this was God’s way of saying that even if Peter had messed up, God still had so much for him to do.

Isn’t it comforting to know that Jesus’ chosen twelve screwed up sometimes? That God still has a plan for you, even if you’re not perfect? If Jesus’ chosen disciple, the foundation of His church, can make a mistake and still go on to become one of the most influential men in history, we can surely achieve the goals God has set for us!

God doesn’t expect us to never fall. He can use the broken, the sinners, those who have made mistakes. He doesn’t expect perfection. Flaws and all, we are loved.