What’s it to you?

 Ever play the comparison game?

You know, where you compare yourself to someone else.

My kids do this a lot…”I swept last time, so and so never sweeps”

“How come so and so got a mint (we love mints around here)?? I didn’t get one?”

And the examples could literally go into eternity. 

Jesus dealt with this same thing with His disciples, many a time.

But one such time is recorded in John 21:18-23

This Is after Jesus’ ressurection. He had just finished a breakfast with Peter, James and John and a few other dicisples. 

Evidently He and Peter had gone off on a little walk for a bit and that’s where Jesus allowed Peter to say that he loved Jesus 3 times because he had denied Jesus 3 times just before Jesus died. 

Jesus tells Peter that he will grow old but then end up dying for his faith. 

That’s when Peter notices John following them. And Peter turns to Jesus and says “what about John?”

And Jesus says “if I want him to remain (stay alive) til I come (that’s pretty significant), what is that to you?”

What a great question. “What is that to you?”

I like to think that I’m not like my children. That I’ve outgrown the comparison game…but I know better.

I think if we were all honest we would admit we all do this. Especially with social media now, where you see only the best, and the things people want to show, which leads us to wrongfully assume that the BEST is the ONLY.

But a great question to ask ourselves is “what is that to us?”

What should it be to us?

I’ll tell you: nothing.

Nothing to us. Because we are not them. 

Peter was not John. Peter would stand before Jesus someday and  answer for Peter, not John.

God meets His children where they are at…He does not blanket us all under the same circumstances…He hasn’t written everyone’s story the same. He couldn’t, we are all so different. We all have a different way we are going to glorify Him.

We should be thankful for this, but bemoaning it. 

It should also be nothing to us because it shouldn’t be about what we want. Notice what Jesus said “if I WANT him (John) to remain.”

It’s not about what Peter or John wanted, but what Christ wanted. 

So next time you catch yourself or even your kids comparing, ask what Jesus asked “what’s it to you?”

And the answer should be nothing.

 Nothing because I’m trusting God’s plan for me and for others (even if that’s different), and realizing it’s really not about me anyways, it’s about Him and what He wants.