13 Oct “What’s it to you, Fella?”

In the past year or so, I received two unpleasant reminders that I’m not getting any younger. One is that I can’t comfortably jog anymore, so I now walk. The other is that I’m cold, pretty much all the time. This reality struck me the other day as I was on my walk.

It was 40 degrees, and I was wearing a jacket, knit cap and warm gloves. Other people were wearing shirts and shorts. I must confess to feeling a bit self-conscious. Were people staring “at the old guy who was dressed for January?”  Realizing I was concerning myself with something that was none of my business, how others dress, reminded me of a powerful scene from the Gospel of John. It comes after the resurrected Jesus restores Peter following his denial of Christ on Good Friday:

18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) 21 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”

22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? (Emphasis mine) You must follow me.” 23 Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”

John appears to be referring to himself when he says, “this disciple.” Jesus was making it clear that Peter would suffer a death like Jesus’. So, Peter asks why John isn’t told the same thing. How often do you wonder why God treats another person one way, and you another way? I don’t want to think about how often I wonder about that.

God had a plan for Peter. He had another plan for John. He has a plan for me and a plan for you:

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:8-10 (NIV).

We are all God’s handiwork. Each of us is a unique piece, created in Christ Jesus to do works unique to us, following God’s unique plan for us. The next time you want to envy the plan God has for someone else, remember that your plan was made uniquely for you in a Savior who gave His life for you. When we remember that, how can we ever be disappointed in it?

Pastor Jerry Bader