The word “calling means different things to different people but as Christians, God’s calling comes to us as an assignment or vocation as the case may be. Let us recall Jesus’s last interaction with His disciples in John’s gospel (John 21: 20-25) where Jesus asked Peter to follow Him. As Peter was following Jesus, he turned and saw the beloved apostle also following Jesus so, Peter asked Jesus about the fate of the apostle(John) that was following as well but Jesus reproached Peter saying” If it is my will that he remains until l come, what is that to you? Please follow me”.
Remember that Jesus has already talked in the preceding verses about the type of mission and death awaiting Peter. So, Jesus’s statement about John indicated that different missions and fates await both of them. The same goes for every one of us. Therefore, we do not need to be envious of one another but to recognize where God calls us and work effectively for Him.
When l started posting articles on my website, my intention was not to preach to anyone but to draw people close to God and reveal the goodness of God to all, irrespective of their race, tribe, or religion. Time passed and l passed through a lot of challenges, one of which was, finding the right topic to write on that would interest my readers and make them visit my website regularly. However, as time went by, l promised myself to always seek the grace of the Holy Spirit for topics and to continue writing no matter the number of people that visit my website. Bearing this in mind, l intensified efforts in my writing, and six years down the line, l am still here writing because it was my call from God to proclaim His name through my website and help to bring salvation to many who may be straying away.
I believe that we are all called by God in different ways to evangelize the word of God. This can be done either in the church or our workplace and in our ordinary lives. Many also serve God in different ways. You will, however, come to know this when you respond to the yearnings of your heart. The reason God calls Mr. A is not the reason He calls Mr. B. God calls us in different ways to serve Him. Our journey in life is different so also our fate and our mission.
Sometimes we spend our time thinking and worrying about the other person so we forget to follow our journey, just like Peter was following Jesus, he stopped and began to put his eyes in another person’s pot of soup. This made me wonder what exactly was going on in Peter’s heart. Was he jealous of John’s close friendship with Jesus? I mean, why was he so inquisitive to find out about the other person? Was he interested to know John’s position among the apostles? This is the case with most of us. We are sometimes so concerned with the other person’s position or given task that we forget to accomplish the one assigned to us. So, when Jesus said “Oh Peter, what is your concern about him, please follow me” Jesus was in essence asking him to concentrate on his vocation and serve Him with it”. The same goes for all of us when we start pocking our noses into other people’s affairs. Let us remember Jesus’s response to Peter and learn to concentrate on our vocation and serve God with it.
We all have our different apostolates, just like Peter was called to shepherd the flock and John wrote boldly that he was to testify that all that happened was true. God calls you and l in different ways for the building of His church and the salvation of souls. Therefore, in our different missions in life, some are meant to pass through a lot of challenges due to the nature of their call. Let us be focused and not complain away the blessing awaiting us at the end. May God give us the grace to understand why we are in this world and show us the way to survive. Amen.
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