“When Peter saw him [John], 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).

Peter was so much like we are. Jesus had just told Peter how he would die and Peter turned to his friend, John, and asked, “Lord, what about him?” Don’t we often think that way? We can easily be diverted from what God wants from us to the consideration of a question about someone else. It’s not an evil tendency but it is human and it is a distraction.

Jesus’ question strikes at the heart of our very human inclination to check what is happening with others when faced with our own challenges. Jesus cuts to the heart of the matter with His question, “What is that to you? You must follow me.” My responsibility isn’t to compare my circumstances with someone else’s; it is to do what God is asking me to do. If I could paraphrase this it would be Jesus telling Peter, “Mind your own business. Focus on what I want from you.”

What God wants from me may not be what God wants from someone else. Some believers lay down their lives as martyrs and others live long lives serving faithfully. The Romans had a coin with the image of an ox being slaughtered on one side. On the other side an ox was depicted pulling a plow. The inscription said, “Ready for either.”

God’s plan for Peter wasn’t His plan for John. His plan for me may not be His plan for you. Each of us is simply expected to follow Him obediently. Jesus put it this way: “What is that to you? You must follow me.”