Problems Nobody Asked Me To Solve With The Bible #1
Why somebody else’s highlight reel always seems better than your real life.
Case submitted by: Doomscroller67
Problem: I keep comparing my life to everyone else’s. Every time I open social media, somebody’s bought a bigger house, run a marathon, launched a business, climbed a mountain or somehow has six-pack abs despite apparently surviving on nothing but Domino’s.
We’ve assigned your case to: Peter (John 21:20–22).
Peter was one of Jesus’ closest disciples. Brave one minute, an absolute liability the next, which is probably why I like him. I can relate to that level of unfathomable inconsistency. One minute, you’re in church, belting out ‘How Great Thou Art’ with every last fibre of your being, the next, you’re biting a hole in your bottom lip because you let someone out at a junction and they didn’t say thank you.
Near the end of John’s Gospel, Jesus tells Peter that following Him will eventually cost him everything. It’s a serious, personal moment. The kind where you’d expect Peter to stand quietly, nod solemnly and adopt some sort of pensive facial expression.
Instead, Peter spots John nearby and basically says:
“What about him?”
Brilliant!
Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them… Peter asked, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me.” (John 21:20–22)
That’s what makes it so painfully human. Peter has just been given a glimpse of his own road, and within seconds, he’s looking sideways at someone else’s.
Jesus doesn’t hand him a comparison chart.
He doesn’t say, “Good question, Peter. Here’s John’s full five-year discipleship forecast.”
He simply says:
“You follow me.”
That must’ve been infuriating.
I’d much rather know what everyone else has been allocated. Am I behind? Am I doing alright? Have I accidentally picked Hard Mode while everyone else seems to be cruising through on Easy?
Jesus refuses to play that game.
Apparently discipleship isn’t a league table.
It’s one person following one Saviour.
Social media has turned Peter’s question into an entire industry. We spend hours wondering, “What about him?” What about her? Their holiday. Their marriage. Their career. Their church. Their subscriber count.
Meanwhile, Jesus keeps giving the same answer.
You follow me.
Annoying, really.
I was hoping for a spreadsheet.
Verdict: The quickest way to lose your joy is to spend your life asking, “What about him?” Jesus has a habit of answering with three words.
You follow me.
