Follow the Leader

When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”  Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?  You must follow me.”  John 21: 21-22

John was trailing a distance behind as Peter walked with Jesus.  Jesus had just talked to Peter about the mammoth effort that would be needed to stay faithful during the difficult challenges that lay ahead.  It shook Peter.  In a possible attempt to defuse the feelings or maybe to see if it was going to be as hard for anyone else, Peter, glancing at John and then turning to Jesus asked, "What about that guy?"  Without a heartbeat passing, Jesus stopped them both in their tracks when he turned to look deep into Peter's eyes.  Jesus knew it would be a life-defining moment that Peter would never forget.  With intense conviction, possibly a deeper tone, and perhaps placing a pointed finger upon Peter's chest, Jesus utters the words above.  For a moment, put yourself in Peter's sandals, with Jesus solely looking into your own eyes.  We suggest you fully embrace and take to heart the words of Jesus as well, "You must follow me."  It is a call for commitment and to stay focused.  

These words have long been a meaningful passage for us because of the enemy's constant efforts to make us quit on God.  We've had our battles.  Since our Christianity began, we have had experiences that crushed our spirits.  We've had close friends leave to live in other cities or countries, or others who have left their faith.  We've had career, financial, and relational struggles as well.  We've had health struggles and surgeries.  While some weeks and months seemed like uphill climbs, we've also enjoyed the mountain peaks at the end.  Our experiences have varied far more than we would have ever imagined, and the life journey we saw ahead decades ago has taken far different routes and paths to where we sit today.  Along the way, in a strange dichotomy, some of our biggest joys and hurts have come from those relationships closest to us.  We have trusted in the good days, which most of them have been, that God continues to mold us in his hands as a jar of clay.  In our shortcomings, the harder days have brought misgivings towards God's attentiveness, but we persevere.  It has merely been much different than we had ever expected.  Perhaps the same point that Jesus was trying to help Peter understand.

We are not unique in our journey.  If asked, we think our friends share the same sentiment.  While mostly feeling blessed and joyful, life hasn’t always gone as perhaps they thought it would.  But we remember the words of the Lord and implant them into our souls, “You must follow me.”  About 30 years ago, we listened to a speaker who shared a lesson about the importance of enduring in our relationship with God.  In his lesson, he firmly shared the line we still remember, “I don’t know what will happen tomorrow, but I know that I won’t leave God!”  That was the very attitude that Jesus was trying to cultivate in Peter.  As mentioned, we have held on to this thought dearly, and it has sustained us in the rising floods that life provides.

We do not know where tomorrow will take you, but there are some things that we can promise.  Just as it has been for us, our peers, and all who have gone before us, our lives will have challenges. Some will be more daunting and difficult than we would like.  You will have cause for both celebration and despair.  You may suddenly lose a job or experience financial hardship.  Someone close to you may lose their life.  The dark days may include friends who will decide to make other choices in their faith, or inadvertently hurt you.

But remember the words of the Lord, "You must follow me."  Give your full heart to God.  Don't let anyone or anything take that away from you.  You are too valuable and the stakes for your life on earth and your eternal soul is just too high.  Decide today, tomorrow, and again the next day, and every day after that you will not be swayed by the lies and deception of the enemy.  Don't let your circumstances or the choices of others cause you to waver in faith and steadfastness.  Instead, wholeheartedly follow Jesus until your end.