What is that to you?

https://odb.org/2024/06/30/what-is-that-to-you-3

John 21:22 is perhaps one of the most profound statements made by Jesus that spells out a fundamental core of our faith. It speaks of our faith being very inclusive as in love your neighbour, but at the very core, it is very personal. Personal because our spiritual walk, the race, is between us and our finish line, and Jesus Christ, our Lord. We have our own lane, our own narrow path, our own road. The rules are the same for everyone as in the path being the narrow one. But it is a personalised one. The rewards and blessings, the trials and tests, and the suffering are all unique to us. Not that something that no one has gone through before, but no two believers will have the same exact experience in God. We are all uniquely created beings.

That is why when Peter asked Jesus, how about John, Jesus’s answer was that if I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? Not that John will become immortal (which history testifies that he was not!), but that what’s John’s calling is of no consequence to Peter. We will all have our distinct calling and battles to fight, birthed out of our own unique journey in life, and conceived by God even before the foundations of the world. That is also why when it comes to matters of faith, we should only listen to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit and do not allow other factors or human pressure to force us into any decisions. We are answerable to God and God alone. People may be disappointed, or they may have certain expectations of us, but ultimately, His plans and purposes for us are for us and not anyone else.

Having said that, we can not make our own rules. We can not compromise and change the narrow path into the broad one. That is not our choice. That is already fixed and set. We should pause to enjoy the roses but not get distracted and wander off into the somewhat magical but illusionary pathway created by the devil to seduce and tempt us away from Jesus. Keep our eyes and focus on Jesus and our tasks at hand and keep on persevering, pushing on towards the goal set before us in Christ Jesus!

Psalm 1:1-2:

Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.