This post is a part of my series of once weekly devotionals called Faith for Thought. Bookmark the homepage for Faith for Thought here to return to it for the weekly update on Thursday!
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A Reading from John 21:18-23
18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) 21 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”
22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” 23 Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”
John 21:18-23, NIV
Devotion
Every day as I walk to my classroom at school, I pass several new signs in the hallway that our administration put up this year. The signs stare at me in big block letters, urging me to “Stay in your lane!”
I have to laugh, because not only have they gone one step further by placing tape and arrows on the ground to form “lanes,” but, for the most part, these makeshift “lanes” are largely ignored by staff and students alike. Students move through the hallways as normal, chatting with friends and rushing to class.
The other reason these signs make me laugh, though, is because the phrase “Stay in your lane!” makes me think of something entirely different. These signs have become a daily reminder to me that I am the one who needs to “stay in my own lane.” In other words, I need to stop trying to get in someone else’s lane. I need to stop comparing myself to everyone else.
This daily message mocks me, almost, because I’m realizing that this is a year that I’ve done anything but stay in my lane. Through this mess of a year at school, I’ve complained and cried that I have to do so much more work than anyone else, working with students and parents who don’t speak English and can’t figure out the constant switching from in-person to hybrid to fully virtual…and then back again. Through infertility and miscarriage, I’ve constantly argued with God, not understanding why they get to have babies and I don’t.
Without even realizing it, I’ve drifted into a different lane: A lane that God has not laid out for me, a lane that is not mine to walk in.
I’ve doubted my calling as an ESL teacher, simply because it seems like everyone else has an easier job than I do. I’ve become bitter and jealous towards others who have what I desire, simply because God has a different plan than mine. I’ve become frustrated with others, not because they’ve done anything wrong, but because I’m comparing myself to everyone else.
My favorite Bible story on comparison is the one pasted above from John 21. In the midst of Jesus explaining to Peter the kind of death by which he would glorify God (verse 19), Peter is not concerned about glorifying God, but about the calling of the other disciples. In other words, “But what about him?”
I do that too. When God is explaining to me the kind of life He has laid out for me by which I will glorify Him, I wonder what other callings everyone else has. Why am I the one God is calling to suffer in this way? Why are others called to more respected and highly-paid jobs? I understand what you’ve called me to, God, but what about her?
God told Peter he needed to follow Him. We need to stop the comparison and follow Him, too.
Take Action
Have you considered that where you are at in life at this very moment — the good parts and the bad — is exactly where God has called you to be? He urges us to stay in our lanes and follow Him, not to worry about what others’ lanes look like. Just as I have daily reminders to stay in my lane, write yourself a reminder somewhere — be it a Bible verse or the phrase “stay in your lane” — and put it somewhere you will see it and reflect on it daily.
