When It’s Time to Eat Crow: Redemption Through Humility

We all have those childhood memories that stick with us forever—for better or worse. One moment in particular often comes to mind. It was painful to live through and even more painful to relive in my younger years. But now, as I look back through the eyes of a parent, I see how formative it truly was.

My brother and I were with my mom, who was chatting with a young couple in a coffee shop. The specifics are foggy, but I distinctly remember one thing: I didn’t want to be there. I have no doubt there was a high level of complaining and rudeness on my part, matched with general disrespect.

Rightfully, I was scolded afterward and told what consequences my behaviour had earned.

“You will call them and apologize,” my mother said—and it wasn’t a request.

I don’t remember my outward response, but inwardly, I was a storm of mortification and indignation. As my mother dialed the number and my heart galloped in my chest, all I wanted to do was run and hide—and not have to speak those humiliating words.

A Rooster’s Reminder

Sometimes, I recall this experience when I read about the apostle Peter.

He denied Jesus three times after emphatically claiming he would never do such a thing. At the time, he believed his words—even I believed his words! It’s easy to say you’re in someone’s corner when they’re staring right at you.

But then the rooster crowed.

Shame filled his entire body as he remembered what Jesus had told him:

“Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken: ‘Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly.” (Matthew 26:75)

The next few days must have been torment. Every time Peter heard a rooster—which, in their agricultural society, would be morning, evening, and often throughout the day—he would be flooded with the memory of his betrayal. He may not have condemned the Son of God to death, but he was guilty of unfaithfulness, disloyalty, and dishonesty. It would have been torture—a prison of his decisions. And with no understanding of the resurrection around the corner, Peter had no way of making it right before the One he had wronged.

A Reason for the Repeat

After Jesus's resurrection, John records that Jesus asked Peter three times:

“Do you love Me?”

Peter affirmed that he did, becoming grieved at the repetition. But from our place on this side of history's pages, Christ’s greater purpose is clear: Peter was being redeemed.

The Son of God gave Peter the freedom of forgiveness—a second chance to give testimony of his faithfulness, loyalty, and allegiance to Christ. Jesus’s answers to Peter’s affirmations were:

“Feed my lambs,” “Tend my sheep,” then, “Feed my sheep,” (John 21:15-19).

With redemption, Peter was also given purpose.

It is a humbling job to care for sheep. They are slow, stubborn, often disobedient, and sometimes they bite. Of course, Jesus wasn’t speaking of literal sheep. He was asking Peter to care for the Good Shepherd’s flock—from the youngest to the oldest—feeding them with His words of life (John 10:11).

The Heart thats Ready

Redemption is powerful, but it's reserved for the ready heart. It begins where pride ends—with humility, and sometimes, a step through humiliation.

As I put the phone to my ear that day, my mouth suddenly went dry. I swallowed hard and said the words I needed to say. I apologized for what I had done. It was hard, and I truly hated doing it—but it was necessary work for my heart.

In God’s providence, I now serve alongside that couple in ministry work. When I see them, I remember—as do they. But instead of embarrassment, we acknowledge that we all learned something more about the nature of God that day.

I walked the path of humility and confession. They stored away an example of redemptive parenting. And together, we continued in obedience to Jesus’s subsequent assignment to our familiar friend Peter: “Follow Me.”

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Have you had a “rooster crow” moment? Share in the comments or reflect on what God may be forming in you through it.