Paralyzed by the Ordinary

 
Peter had an extraordinary call on his life.  On the shore of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias), Jesus first called Peter to “follow Me” (Matthew 4:18-20).  Peter left his life of fishing to follow the Messiah. 


He left his ordinary life to follow the call from Jesus….his life would never be the same again.  Peter lived for a higher call.   

Towards the end of John’s gospel, John gives us a glimpse into the struggle going on in Peter’s heart.  In John 21, we see Peter talking with several of the disciples; Jesus has risen from the dead having visited them already.  But Peter’s heart doesn’t know what to do with the call to follow Jesus now.  It hasn’t turned out how he thought.  After 3 ½ years of walking with Jesus and seeing miracles, he goes back to the ordinary. {If the ordinary is all you can see, you will not look for anything else.} A week or so previously, Peter had denied Jesus three times just as Jesus had prophesied that he would.   

There is such a disappointment in Peter’s heart~ disappointment in himself and disappointment in expectation. 

Expectations not met, Peter becomes paralyzed by the ordinary and says to his disciple buddies, “I’m going out to fish”.  And off to the Sea of Tiberias (Galilee) he goes, with his friends following him~ back to the old, familiar, normal life.  They fished all night and caught nothing; the fruit of their life going back to the ordinary produced nothing.

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Jesus called to them and told them to “throw their nets on the right side of the boat”.  They did what he said and caught a net full of fish!  Peter helped pull the net ashore then after eating breakfast with Jesus, went to visit with Jesus on the shore.

During their conversation, Jesus tells Peter to remember the call.  Three times Jesus asks him to remember the call.  Where Peter had denied Jesus 3 times, Jesus reinstates him 3 times and ends their conversation with the same words that He used with the initial call, “Follow Me”. 

This call is to turn away from the ordinary, normal, comfortable existence in this world and go after the extraordinary life ~ this is what Jesus offers to each one who follows Him.  We need to guard our hearts from discouragement and disappointment, keeping the One who is worthy of all our affection before our eyes.  We personally have been struggling with disappointment and when I read through John 21, I felt like it was speaking straight to me.  I have been meditating on it several times a week, to encourage my heart. 

In the midst of the struggle; in the waiting; in the disappointment; in the trial; before the answers; in the face of mystery; before the breakthrough; in the unmet expectation, hold on to the call you have received.  Make a commitment to Jesus that you are not going back to the ordinary.  You are staying steady.  You will not quit.  You will remember the call. 

You have a great call on your life, like Peter.  Jesus calls you into love with Him.  He calls you to divorce yourself from ordinary, abide in Him and expect a life of adventure, miracles, love, joy, true identity and peace.  


Hear Jesus speaking to your spirit, “Follow Me”.  What does it look like today for you to “Follow Me” and remember the call?

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