Why Not Me?
August 19th, 2010 § 3 Comments
Recently, a friend of mine made the decision to follow a different path in his journey. The neat thing about his decision is that both he and his wife are perfectly in sync and focused on God’s calling to make this change. I admire them both for their obedience to God’s leading, but I have to admit, my second reaction to the news was to ask God, “why not me?“. Why couldn’t God give me a special calling that I could be excited about? It was so easy to forget that just over two years ago God gave me a special calling to start this season of my life. He did not include me with twenty of my closest friends; he took me!
At the very end of the book of John, Peter is walking with Jesus when he notices John (described in John 21:20 as “The Disciple whom Jesus loved…”) walking behind them. Peter asks Jesus in verse 21, “Lord, what about him?”, referring to John’s future. In verse 22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” When the disciples heard this they started a rumor that John would not die until Jesus returned, but in reality, Jesus was simply saying, “don’t worry about John, worry about Peter…“
This is essentially what God reminded me of this past week. Maybe not in these exact words, but God clearly said, “the plans I have for you are for you and no one else.” I know I say this a lot, but God’s plan is perfect! He has given each of us a special calling that we must make a conscious effort to follow. Each time I wish I had someone else’s calling, I short-change God’s perfect plan for my life.
So what was my first reaction? It was an immediate sense of loss. While this friend of mine and I don’t really hang out that much, I can truly say that at times he feels like a brother. I will miss him more than he will ever know, but God has a perfect plan for his life and to not listen to God’s calling would mean to fall short of God’s potential in his life. God’s Speed, little brother…
Dino… right on, man. Although it is not always easy following God’s plans, His ways are so much better than ours that we cannot even begin to grasp it this side of heaven.
== Ross ==
Amen, Brother!
Perfect for me right now while I’m in Germany. Thank you for sharing!