November 6, 2018

Follow Your Own Path

When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” – John 21:21

Jesus had just told Peter how the disciple would die. While Peter was willing to follow Jesus anywhere, he sure didn’t want to do it alone. So, Peter asked Jesus what would happen to John.

Isn’t that just like us? We get called to do something and we want to know what others have to do. It’s that comparison thing we’ve got going. We all do it.

Jesus told Peter not to worry about what John would do. It certainly wouldn’t change what Peter would face. John’s calling belonged to John and Peter’s calling belonged to Peter.

That’s how it is for us. Each of us are called to be unique. We are gifted in special ways to achieve God’s purpose for our lives. It doesn’t matter what someone else’s calling is. It shouldn’t even concern us. But it does.

We do that in all areas of our lives. We want to play the piano like someone else, ignoring the fact that we are talented in voice or sewing or teaching. We want to look like a certain person, ignoring the fact that we are wonderfully made in the image of God to be who we are. We want to always be different than who we are rather than embracing the person God created us to be.

We also try to put our own characteristics onto others. It’s like we want to remake them in our own image. We tell someone they like something when the reality is we like it, not them. We try to force our children to follow us in music or career or style. We manipulate others to get our way rather than allowing them to be who they are.

What’s wrong with someone being different from us? You like brown and taupe and other neutral colors. I like turquoise and fuchsia and lemon yellow. Neither is right or wrong. We are simply uniquely made with different tastes. I’m amazed at the people who would put someone down simply for not liking the same colors as they do.

Look at our political world. Today is election day. There will be lots of put-downs going on, some subtle and some not so subtle. Why do we think that someone who votes differently than we do is stupid? Why do we need to criticize or ridicule someone who doesn’t agree with our political opinions?

Peter wasn’t sure about what his future held. He would do anything for Jesus. He’d already betrayed Jesus once. He wasn’t about to do it again. Peter would indeed become the rock on which the church was built. But it didn’t stop Peter from wanting to know what John would be doing.

We are all different. God calls us to our own unique paths, using our individual gifts, to bring Him glory. So, stop worrying about what someone else is doing or what someone else looks like and just focus on being who you are. Follow God’s plan for your life and don’t compare it to anyone else’s path.