Yes or No?...

John 18:27 "Then Peter denied it again, and immediately a cock crowed."

April 20, 1999...Columbine... I, as do many, remember that Tuesday afternoon as though it were yesterday.  I was sitting at my desk at school when my secretary stuck her head through the doorway and told me the news.  Someone had shot a lot of students and teachers at a Colorado high school.

Among the dead was a young woman named Cassie Bernal.  She has become well-known as a martyr, having answered a simple question with a one-word answer in a life-threatening, pressure-filled situation.  "Are you a Christian", the gun-wielding young man asked. Looking into the barrel of his gun, she said, "Yes".  And he pulled the trigger.

Peter, too, found himself in a life-threatening position as he stood in the courtyard of the High Priest on a cold spring night  Warming his hands by the charcoal fire, he was identified as a disciple of Jesus.  Seeing what was happening to Jesus, and fearing for his own life, Peter answered, "No!"

Yes or no.  Two simple words.  One spoken courageously, the other spoken in fear.  One showing faith and hope.  The other revealing doubt and dread.  I often wonder how I would have responded in those situations.  What would the pressure reveal in me?  I like to think I would respond like Cassie did.  I pray that I would say, "Yes!"

While we're not often thrown into life or death choices, we find ourselves daily having opportunities to express or deny our faith in Jesus.  It's how we respond to these "lesser" challenges that prepare us for the "big" ones.

Lord, please help me as I navigate this day to say, "Yes".