Grace After Failure
Ben Roberts

Scripture:
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. - John 15:13

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:38-39

Devotional:
Most of life is routine. We eat, sleep, go to work during the week, and play on the weekends. Rinse and repeat for decades. But in each life, there are moments when our lives can have a real impact on our community.  When those key moments arrive, we can either step forward in faith or we can turn and walk away. All too often we choose the latter and fail.

In the last of our 2026 God goes to the movie’s series, we explore the themes of Project Hail Mary and how story can inform how we live out our faith. If you haven’t seen the movie, it’s good. But do yourself a favor and read the book. It’s riveting. The basic story is this: The main character, Dr. Ryland Grace, is a scientist working on a huge mission to save humanity. Dr. Grace works on the project from its inception. At a key moment in the movie, he is called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice to ensure the missions success. It is his moment of truth. And he literally runs away. He fails his moment of truth.

In all four gospels, the disciple Peter has a moment of truth. He too fails the test. The fact that it is in all four gospels should tell you something. He denies Jesus a total of three times. This was not a momentary slip up.  After being warned by Jesus himself, Peter denies Jesus and then does it two more times. All in the span of one evening.

In the movie, Dr. Grace gets a second chance. He can go home as a hero, or he can give his life to save his friend. No surprises, he saves his friend.

When we fail, God does not discard us. He shows us grace (unmerited forgiveness) and restores us. In the case of Peter, Jesus shows grace and forgives Peter. He gives him a second chance to get it right. While sitting around a fire, he is again asked about his relationship to Jesus. But Jesus is even more direct asking, “Do you love me?” Three times he repeats the question, mirroring his earlier failure. This time, Peter gets it right. Jesus restores him and has him lead his church. That act of forgiveness has resonated from that moment to today.  

God loves us. Life repeatedly gives us opportunity to reflect God’s love and share it with others. He picks us up and shows us grace even when we fail to share His love with others. Repeatedly. And he has a plan for our lives. If we lean into the gift of grace that we have been given, our lives can be transformed and impactful.

Prayer:
God, we come to you just as we are. Thank you for your grace. Help us to live out our potential and share our gifts in your kingdom. Amen.