There's a moment near the end of John's Gospel that feels almost too human. Jesus has just restored Peter after his failure, told him to feed His sheep, and even given him a glimpse of the suffering that lay ahead. It's heavy. It's personal. And right there, instead of sitting in that calling, Peter glances over his shoulder, sees John, and asks the question many of us can't resist:

"Lord, what about him?"

Jesus' reply is sharp and straightforward:

"If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me."

That cuts deep. Because if we're honest, a lot of us live in that same question. We compare. We speculate. We wonder why someone else's life looks easier, harder, more blessed, or more fruitful than our own. We want to know God's will for others, sometimes more than we want to walk in His will for us.

However, Jesus' answer remains unchanged. It's not our business to figure out what God is doing with someone else. Our business is to follow Him.

Peter wasn't malicious. He wasn't gossiping. He wasn't trying to start trouble. He was just curious. But even innocent curiosity can take our eyes off our calling. When we get entangled in what God is doing with someone else, we start drifting from the path He has laid out for us.

In Pain to Praise, I wrote about how hurt can twist our vision until we don't see things clearly anymore. The same is true with comparison. We look through the filter of jealousy, pride, or insecurity. Instead of celebrating another's journey, we question why ours looks different. We begin to doubt God's goodness in our own story.

Hebrews 12 gives us the picture we need:

"Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith."

Notice what it doesn't say. It doesn't say to keep one eye on Jesus and the other on what everyone else is doing. It doesn't tell us to run while peeking over at the crowd. Our only focus is Christ.

Any runner knows that when you start looking sideways, you stumble. When you glance at the runner in the next lane, you lose your stride. The same happens to us spiritually. We can't run well while comparing or controlling. The call is simple: eyes forward, feet moving, heart fixed on Jesus.

Comparison is one of the fastest ways to rob yourself of joy. God never called us to run someone else's race, and trying to do so will only leave us weary and frustrated. The Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint. It requires patience, endurance, and focus. You don't finish well by constantly glancing over your shoulder. You finish well by fixing your gaze on Christ and trusting Him with each step.

Paul told the Romans,

"So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God."

On that day, God won't ask me how well I managed my brother's calling. He'll ask if I was faithful with mine.

God writes different stories for each of us. Peter's road would lead to a cross. John's road would stretch into old age. Both were costly. Both glorified Christ. But neither man could carry the other's calling.

When we busy ourselves with "fixing" or "directing" others, we often reveal a lack of trust in God's ability to lead His own servants. Every believer has the same Shepherd. He doesn't need me to manage someone else's steps.

Life has enough weight of its own without piling on what doesn't belong to you. If you're carrying comparison, envy, or a critical spirit, you're running with unnecessary baggage. Strip it off. Lay it aside. God has given you your lane, your gifts, and your calling. That's where your responsibility lies.

And don't forget this: our calling is not just a task but the outflow of Christ living in us. Grace means we don't have to strain to measure up or manipulate what God is doing in others. Our job isn't to imitate someone else's race but to trust Christ as our very life. The Christian life is not me trying harder, but Christ expressing His life through me. That changes everything. I don't have to be jealous of John's story or Peter's cross, because Christ Himself is my portion, my strength, and my finish line.

Each reader should remember this: you are special to your Father. Deeply loved. Chosen. Known. But you are not more special than your brother or sister in Christ. God doesn't play favorites. He has written a unique story for you, but His love is not divided into pieces. It is whole and full for each of His children.

That truth frees us from envy. When I know I am fully loved, I don't need to compare my calling to yours. I can cheer for you without feeling smaller, because your victory doesn't diminish mine. We all run under the same Father's gaze, equally precious, equally treasured.

This doesn't mean we stop loving, encouraging, or even gently correcting when God clearly calls us to do so. But there's a vast difference between humbly bearing one another's burdens and trying to script someone else's life.

Jesus didn't tell Peter to plan John's ministry. He told him to feed the sheep and follow. That's the balance for us: love our brothers and sisters, serve them, pray for them, but don't try to be the Holy Spirit in their lives.

Life is lighter when we stop trying to carry what God never asked us to carry. The enemy loves to use comparison and nosiness as distractions. If I'm wrapped up in where someone else is going, I'm not walking faithfully in the steps set before me.

When I was walking through some of the darkest seasons of betrayal and hurt, the temptation was strong to look at others and think, "Why did they get spared from this? Why did I have to carry this weight?" But the Lord kept bringing me back to this: "You follow me."

Not their path. Not their outcome. Not their story. Mine.

This is the grace that frees us from measuring ourselves against others, and the grace that allows us to walk humbly, faithfully, and joyfully in the steps God designed for us. God's plan for your life is tailor-made just for you. Nobody else can walk it. And nobody else is responsible for it.

When we are resting in Christ's finished work, we are no longer competing, comparing, or controlling. We are simply abiding. Our greatest freedom is to realize: I am not defined by how my race looks compared to yours. Christ defines me in me, the hope of glory. And when my eyes are fixed there, I can cheer you on without envy and run freely in the grace He's given me.

At the end of the day, Peter's question and Jesus' reply boil down to this:

"Lord, and what shall this man do?"

"If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me."

That's still the answer. God's will for my brother is God's business. God's will for me is to follow Christ with all my heart.

So let's run our race with eyes on Jesus. Let's cheer others on without comparing or controlling. Let's stop looking sideways and keep our eyes fixed on the One who already ran before us and won.

That's where the freedom is. That's where the joy is. And that's where the finish line will meet us with Jesus Himself waiting at the end.