Auto Pilot

Have you ever headed out the door and flipped the auto pilot switch on inadvertently, only to find yourself not where you need to be? I take this one path each time I go to Curves to workout or work. This morning I was also taking it to go to the factory to lead devotions. Fortunately, I “woke” up before I went beyond my intended destination.

This started me thinking about moving about life on auto pilot. I imagine we all do it. We get lulled into patterns of familiar behavior that we slip into when we’re not paying attention. We also revert back into those patterns when things get difficult, confusing, or painful.

I work within the portion of the population that has committed some kind of crime. Life has become very difficult for them. Most of them are trying to get their lives turned around, but when things get tough it’s just easier, or at least more natural, for them to revert to familiar behavior. The technical term is recidivism.

So there I was just about to miss my turn and God got me to thinking about returning to the familiar. And I was immediately reminded of Peter and the gang. Most of them were fishing when Jesus called them. It’s what they knew and they were pretty good at it. But Jesus invited them to a new way of life, of thinking; new patterns of behavior: following him.

What is amazing to me was the willingness that the disciples demonstrated in leaving behind their “familiar” to follow Jesus. Their patterns were deeply entrenched in their psyches. Their families had been fishermen for generations. This wasn’t a fad. This was in the fabric of their being. But they walked away from it and followed after Jesus.

Peter and the other fishermen really dove into what Jesus called them to. They gave their lives for this. They believed in the message. They got charged by the miracles. They really liked it when he “gave it” to the Pharisees and Romans. I think that’s why when Jesus was crucified they crashed emotionally. I believe they felt betrayed. Imagine how foolish they felt. They would have had to, look at what they gave up to follow Jesus!

So it’s not too surprising to me that they were found in the fishing boats by Jesus that morning after the resurrection. It was natural for them to return to what was familiar. They had been good at fishing and when the Jesus thing didn’t seem to be turning out the way they had hoped---well, pass the net.

It makes me smile to picture their faces as they were coming to shore and they spied someone there tending a fire. It sure looked like Jesus, but come on, there was no way! But the closer they got, the more impossible it was to doubt it. It was Jesus and breakfast was served.

The scriptures record a conversation between Jesus and Peter that I believe the other disciples “overheard.” They didn’t want to look like they were listening because it really sounded like Peter was being scolded and no one else wanted to line up for that. But they still listened.
Scholars and layman alike have taken a stab at why Jesus grilled Peter the way he did that morning. Here’s my take on it. Jesus understood why Peter went back to fishing, but he needed to move Peter beyond the grip of the familiar if he was ever going to live out the life Jesus was offering to him. So asks Peter a question—three times.

I imagine the first time the question was posed Peter answered it, almost robotically, automatically. Of course he loved Jesus. Then Jesus pointed him the direction of the unfamiliar. Again, Jesus asks, and possibly confused, Peter responds the same. Then move away from what is familiar and trust me with what you do not understand. Simple enough. But Jesus must sense that Peter’s hand is still way too close to that auto-pilot button and he asks Peter again. In order to answer this time Peter must throw up his hands in frustration—and then he gets it.

Jesus’ quasi-cryptic questioning finally achieves the desired result. Peter’s defenses have finally been broken through. He understands and never looks back. You wonder why Peter could stand so boldly on Pentecost. Ever question Peter’s ability to sing while he was in jail? That morning there on the beach Jesus finally was able to move Peter from his bent toward the familiar into the fullness of serving Him.

Now, that’s not to say Peter always got it. There was that dream sequence at Cornelius’ house where Jesus had to break through those old theories on what was clean and unclean. And that run in with Paul later in Jerusalem. Still, Peter was much more able to move past those things into the place where God was going to lead him, even to the humiliating death he endured.

So I guess the question that begs to be asked is how are you doing facing the uncertain challenges in your faith journey? How close is your hand to flipping that auto-pilot button? You’re being invited to something more. Will you leave the nets, or whatever your “familiar” is and feed His sheep, or whatever He is calling you to do? It might be messy, but it’s so incredibly worth it! Paul caught on to the process and in his letter to the Romans: “This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next, Papa?"(Romans 8:15, The Message).

It’s time to move forward from the familiar and ask God what is next. It’s a little scary, but oh what an adventure!