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.
