He wasn't particularly educated. In fact, as he wrapped up his early education, he didn't have the grades to go on to the next level so he went instead and learned the trade of his father, a fisherman. Like many in the industry, he was a little rough around the edges and probably a lot like the crowd I hung out with in high school, personified in several Hank Williams Jr. songs. He had a short fuse, a mouth that constantly got him in trouble, the first to make big promises and the first to break them. With a ready, fire, aim mindset he was impulsive and exuberant, like an untamed horse in the wild with off-the-charts high D and I on the DISC profile. In short, Peter was the perfect candidate for Jesus to use to build the church upon.
"Then he asked them, 'But who do you say I am?'
Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.'
Jesus replied 'You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means rock), and upon this rock, I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.'" (Matthew 16:15-18)
I love the band of misfits Jesus chose to start his church. On one side, he had Matthew, a shy, well-educated accountant collecting taxes for the Romans and on the other, Peter who never met a fight he didn't like or a quiet moment he wouldn't fill. In between, ten others with all different personas, backgrounds, and issues, including two mama’s boys and one he knew would ultimately sell him out. Like Abraham Lincoln's cabinet, very much a team of rivals. It was their authenticity that made them influential, their imperfections that made them believable, and their diversity that made them strong and impactful.
If He can use Peter to lead the early Church, He can use you to accomplish big things as well.
To me, Peter's leading trait was a bold willingness to take action. He didn't need a slow, overly contemplative, timid person, he needed someone willing to jump in the ring like Rocky (hence the name).
He also needed all types in order to strengthen the team, debate ideas, and connect with a wide group of people. He wasn't looking for perfect people, just the perfect team.
Be bold like Peter today and don't concern yourself with being perfect, but focus on taking action. So you cut off an ear here and there, that's okay, God can fix that too, just keep swinging. Remember "perfect" people stand on the sidelines in judgment while the willing misfit gets in the ring and makes things happen.