Peter's protest and subsequent failure...
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Peter's protest and subsequent failure are all too familiar to those who have lived with an alcoholic or addict. It's all or nothing at all with most addictive personalities. They're either pushing people away ("You shall not wash my feet") or totally dependent and needy ("Then not just my feet, but my hands and my head, too!") Always pleading to be the best and brightest ("Though everyone desert you, I shall be faithful!"), and they crushed by the threat of failure ("This night, you shall deny me three times before the cock crows") and slip quickly into denial. And when they live down to people's worst expectations, they are crushed, and like Peter, tend to "go out and weep bitterly." However, Peter came to understand that there was a power greater than himself who could resolve him, love him, and empower him, and he turned his life over to that higher power. In turn, he became the leader of the early church, especially in Jerusalem. -- Herrmann
