20-21 Turning his head, Peter noticed the disciple Jesus loved following right behind. When Peter noticed him, he asked Jesus, “Master, what’s going to happen to him?”
22-23 Jesus said, “If I want him to live until I come again, what’s that to you? You—follow me.” That is how the rumor got out among the brothers that this disciple wouldn’t die. But that is not what Jesus said. He simply said, “If I want him to live until I come again, what’s that to you?”
Reflection
If you’ve never seen Bluey… you need to watch at least an episode or two. It may be a “kids’ show” but the creator and writers have packed it with relatable and heartwarming moments for everyone.
Season 2; Episode 1 of Bluey, “Hammerbarn” shows us how Bluey learns to be happy with what she’s got. When the family goes to Hammerbarn (an Australian version of Home Depot) the girls have a great time building their gardens in the cart, until Bingo, her little sister, gets a lawn gnome with a shovel, and Bluey’s doesn’t have a shovel. “I can’t be happy with what I have when what she has is better!” she whines. Mum concedes and swaps the gnome or “husband” for one that is just the same as Bingo’s.
The cart moves on and the girls get fairy lights that are just the same. Then a “pizza flipper” that Bingo plays with until Bluey negotiates for it even though Bingo is sad to let it go. Then the “dining table” (a pizza stone) appears on Bingo’s side of the cart much to her delight! Immediately Bluey starts demanding it. She tries to swap it for the pizza flipper, Bluey insists that she needs a turn with it, then she and Bingo engage in a tug of war over the pizza stone/dining table. Bluey overpowers her little sister, but in the process, Bingo’s “husband” gets knocked out of the cart and meets his end on the concrete floor.
It’s a hard lesson for everyone. Bingo is grieving the loss of her “husband,” Mum raises her voice, and Bluey gets a firm scolding. “This is what happens when you’re unhappy with what you’ve got! Someone’s husband eventually gets it!”
Bluey gets a glimpse of the immediate and painful consequences of making demands beyond her needs rather than being satisfied with her blessings. Mum explains that you can’t just get what you want all the time, things cost money, and it’s just not how life goes.
At dinner, when Bluey realizes Bingo’s piece of pizza is bigger than hers, she has a moment of whining but quickly recovers with, “That’s fine” and we see a smile flash across Mum’s face.
If only this was all it took for us to learn to be happy with what we’ve got.
In today’s scripture, Peter looks around and notices John is close by. This is just after a conversation Jesus and Peter have about his future. Peter asks Jesus about John’s future and Jesus replies with, “It doesn’t matter what happens to him, you just worry about you.” In this anecdote Peter is a bit like Bluey. John is one of the first disciples to follow Jesus, and is clearly a favored one considering he is referred to as “the one that Jesus loved.” It’s not difficult to guess Peter’s train of thought… Man, if my future is going to be as good as promised, how good must his future be? I wonder if I can get in on that instead.
It’s so easy to see what someone else has and assume they have it better. It’s so easy to get distracted from what we need to do when we are thinking about what everyone else is doing.
It takes some emotional maturity to let go of these distractions. It takes practice and confidence to feel secure in your garden, husband, and pizza flipper when someone else has a dining table.
by Ashley Bowler
For Pondering and Prayer
When have you been in Bluey’s position, so wrapped up in what someone else has or is doing and you forget to appreciate what you’ve already got? How did you learn to let go of those distractions?
Prayer: Dear Lord, Thank you for the blessings in our lives, even the ones we may not understand. Guide us as we practice gratitude and letting go of the distractions of others’ blessings. Forgive our eventual foibles and grant us the wisdom to appreciate Your gifts before someone’s husband eventually gets it. Amen.
