Why Are You Riding Me?!

What do they want from you?! I mean how does someone ride your back and stay in your face at the same time? There they go pulling you. Now there they go pushing you. If you've got it to give, they want it all and then some. You go the distance for them and all they do is put you on a bigger track. I mean, really. What's the deal? It's frustrating and you just want to yell out, "Why are you riding me?!!!" The answer is simple. You can handle it.

Let me take you back to a moment in Biblical history. Simon Peter and some other fishermen are on the shore of Galilee having breakfast with Jesus after his resurrection. Jesus asks Peter a strange question.  He asked Peter if he loved him . Peter answered yes.  Jesus told Peter what he needed him to do.  Enough said, right? Wrong.  Jesus pulled at Peter a little more. He asked Peter a second time, "Peter do you love me?" Peter wondered why he would ask him again, but he answered him yes again. Jesus again told him what he needed him to do.  Mind you that there are other men sitting around with them at the time. Still, Jesus pushed at Peter a third time.  "Peter, do you love me?" Now Peter is flat out frustrated.  He had already answered and confirmed his answer.  What more did Jesus want from him? By this time Peter has got to be thinking something to the effect of, 'All these other men sitting here and he keeps coming at me. Why is Jesus riding me?'. Because Peter... You can handle it.  Jesus could have focused in on anyone else sitting there at that moment, but Jesus chose Peter.  He chose Peter because he knew that Peter had the zeal, power, and faith in him to get the job done.  Peter's frustration of being prodded by Jesus blinded him from seeing that Jesus was essentially handing him the torch.  Jesus was giving Peter a charge.  Let me paraphrase the moment: "Look Peter.  What I am asking you to do is critical.  I take this work very seriously and so should you.  I keep coming at you because I trust that you'll get it done."  Jesus knew exactly who Peter was and the magnitude of his potential.  He just had to press Peter a little bit so Peter would recognize it  too.

So, all said to say, when you are being pushed don't allow your frustration to cause you to overlook the point of the situation. Yes, you are being pressed.  Yes, you are being pulled.  Yes they are requiring everything of you.  Yes, they are riding you.  The point is that you can get it done.

Prayer: Lord when we are being groomed for growth.  Give us the wisdom to embrace the challenge and empower us to see it all the way through.  After all, we can do all things through you Lord.