Lace Them Up!

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask."

"What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.

They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory."

"You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?" Matthew 10: 35-38

Have you ever looked at what someone else is doing and thought to yourself... “Man… it would be cool to do that. How can I get close to that person so that I can be on their team?

Or even worse have you looked at someone’s life and thought, “Wow it must be nice. They have all that money and all those things that I want. If only I could do what they are doing then I’d be happy.”

Well at first glance it seems that James and John weren’t saying this. Weren’t they just saying that they wanted to stay as close to Jesus as they could for all of eternity. That should be flattering right?

Nope. Wrong.

They were asking to be favored in the eyes of Jesus. They were asking for a privileged place but didn’t know the cost that it took to get there.

I think we do this when we look at celebrities or those around us who are “successful”. We look at them and their fancy homes and cars and think if only I had that life everything would be better.

But… that may not be the case.

We don’t know what it is like to be that person until we walk a mile in their shoes.

And generally when we try on someone else’s shoes they don’t fit right; even if they seem to be the right size.

This is because we each have our own walk. Sometimes it may seem like someone has walked the path before us, and maybe they have to some degree. But, no one has ever walked that path with our stride.

So instead of longing for a life that you perceive someone else to have, carve out your own path. Strap on your own shoes and march on until you wear them out.

Perhaps when you finish walking you will end up where you thought this other person had arrived. But most likely you will end up in a better place, a place that you couldn’t have imagined in your wildest dreams.

But one thing is certain. You can’t get to that wonderful place wearing someone else’s shoes.

Today’s Reading: Deuteronomy 3-4; Mark 10: 32-52