"What Is That to You? Follow Me." ~Jesus
I'm a "planner", something just short of "control freak" status. My SuperPower is making things happen, but that gift can easily morph into a fleshly desire to control outcomes. My "top brain" truly wants to follow God's will while my heart is driven to write my own narrative.
I'm also easily distracted [ooooooh, shiny!!!]. As I look around, I see others' lives and start the mental comparison game. "What about him?" "What about her?" Like anyone who has ever suffered, I want to know what God is going to do about the wicked. I also want to know whether I can pattern my own "happy ending" after someone else's story.
On a daily basis, the Holy Spirit reins in my wild imagination by reminding me that part of my spiritual growth is rooted in the unknown. His will for me is to simply follow Christ in full trust, believing that God's plan for me is unique -- unlike anyone else's story. It would be easy for me to get caught up in "what could have been", "if only", or, like Peter did, "What about him?"
“But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you and carry you where you don’t want to go. . . Follow me.” So Peter turned around and saw the disciple Jesus loved following them . . . When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” “If I want him to remain until I come,” Jesus answered, “What is that to you? As for you, follow me.” - John 21:18-22
Peter has just learned of his impending martyrdom. He asks Jesus, "What about him?", referring to John. Christ's answer is assertive. "What is that to you? Follow me." For the second time in the passage, Jesus says, "Follow me."
God has a specialized plan for each of our lives. No two stories will be alike! Just as God cannot be put in a box of predictability, our lives will not progress as we plan, imagine, or expect. Guaranteed. We won't find answers by studying others' case histories, and we are powerless to predict the future. What we DO know, however, is this:
For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. ~ Jeremiah 29:11
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©2020 Julianne Knapp. First published 6.22.20
I'm also easily distracted [ooooooh, shiny!!!]. As I look around, I see others' lives and start the mental comparison game. "What about him?" "What about her?" Like anyone who has ever suffered, I want to know what God is going to do about the wicked. I also want to know whether I can pattern my own "happy ending" after someone else's story.
On a daily basis, the Holy Spirit reins in my wild imagination by reminding me that part of my spiritual growth is rooted in the unknown. His will for me is to simply follow Christ in full trust, believing that God's plan for me is unique -- unlike anyone else's story. It would be easy for me to get caught up in "what could have been", "if only", or, like Peter did, "What about him?"
“But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you and carry you where you don’t want to go. . . Follow me.” So Peter turned around and saw the disciple Jesus loved following them . . . When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” “If I want him to remain until I come,” Jesus answered, “What is that to you? As for you, follow me.” - John 21:18-22
Peter has just learned of his impending martyrdom. He asks Jesus, "What about him?", referring to John. Christ's answer is assertive. "What is that to you? Follow me." For the second time in the passage, Jesus says, "Follow me."
God has a specialized plan for each of our lives. No two stories will be alike! Just as God cannot be put in a box of predictability, our lives will not progress as we plan, imagine, or expect. Guaranteed. We won't find answers by studying others' case histories, and we are powerless to predict the future. What we DO know, however, is this:
For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. ~ Jeremiah 29:11
Subscribe to free weekly articles in your inbox HERE; your information will never be shared. :-)
©2020 Julianne Knapp. First published 6.22.20
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