W.I.T.T.Y.
“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 (NIV)
While spending a summer in Tucson, Arizona, as a summer missionary, a friend of mine showed me these verses. She told me to write the acronym “W.I.T.T.Y.” (“What is that to you?”) in the margin.
Three years later and now in a different country, I have come to truly treasure those words of Jesus found in the Gospel of John. How easy it is to compare myself to other people. Like Peter, we often look at others and ask, “Lord, what about him or her?‘ instead of following the role He has for us.
God says, Follow Me. But instead of looking to the Lord, I sometimes look to the situations and qualities of others. I use the excuses, “Lord, they speak the language better...Lord, they are more outgoing than I am É Lord, they have more friends than I do … Lord, they are having an easier term than I am.” Taking my eyes off God’s purpose for me and placing my eyes on someone else’s life shows a lack of contentment.
You must follow Me. He does not say if I want to or if it is easy; He says I must follow Him. God made me the way He did for a purpose. I am the only one who can follow God the way I can. You are the only one who can follow God the way you can. We must follow Him, and we must be content with our role while doing it.
Gracious God, help me to never compare myself to others but to be content in who I am in You. May missionaries also follow You and be content in following. Amen.
Text exerpt from Voices of the Faithful. Order your own copy from the
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