God has given us each a mission that sometimes even those closest to us don’t fully understand. And their well-meaning efforts to love us might actually distract us from the work God has given us to do. With Jesus, we must wisely discern when we’re faced with a get-behind-me-Satan moment.
For Christ, this moment came when he was sharing with his disciples that he would soon be headed to Jerusalem to be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead. Peter couldn’t bear this thought and he took Jesus aside to scold him for even suggesting it. Jesus then responded to Peter by saying, “Get behind me, Satan!” In this moment, Peter was seeing from a human point of view and not God’s, and this needed to be directly opposed. Of course, after this moment, Peter was once again able to enjoy close intimate moments with Christ again. This momentary lapse didn’t destroy their entire relationship. And the same should be true for us as well.
For instance, perhaps our wife or close friend is critical of the direction we’re taking. While we believe we’re following God’s call for our life, they see it a different way. To be fair, God has placed them in our life for a reason, and it’s possible they’re rightly naming blind spots we’ve missed. All the same, we must pray for the wisdom and courage to tell them to get behind us when they’re speaking merely from a human perspective and not God’s. To be sure, there’s no need for this to end our relationship together. But it is a reminder for our spiritual eyes not to grow dull even within our closest relationships.
In the end, humbly consider the feedback from your trusted others. But have the courage to tell them to get behind you when their well-meaning efforts distract you from God’s call for your life.
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