Not about the likes
Have you ever sat in church and just knew that the entire message was directed at you? That was me this past weekend. The Godwink part of it? The night before I had shared with one of the twins that I needed to grow my platform and work on followers to appeal to publishers more. A sidebar-I do not use TikTok nor have I ever intended to do that but as I was talking to the girls, they shared that is where a lot of social media growth occurs. The pressures to have an established platform and email lists in order to appeal to traditional publishers can be overwhelming. As I sat in church, I realized that those pressures have the risk of negating why I write. In the same week I received multiple text messages encouraging me to continue writing my blog and affirmation how some are even now seeing Godwinks where they had not seen them before. Isn’t that why I write? It is not about followers, it is not about likes-as our Pastor shared this weekend, Heaven doesn’t care how many like you had here on earth. He shared about the unsung heroes in the Bible-those that didn’t even write a book or may not even be named. I loved his last point that Heaven celebrates people that the Earth did not see. Can you imagine that in the world we live in today? What if we all chose to use our ordinary faith to encourage the faith in others, no matter the cost to ourselves? Epaphroditus is the first unsung hero in our study. In Philippians, Paul mentions him and says he will send him back. He states he was ill but God had mercy on him. He suffered, paid a price, for his faith. Then Paul closes with this and reminds us of where and when we will see our greatest joy-it is not about followers or being liked here on Earth. “So then, welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him, because he almost died for the work of Christ. He risked his life to make up for the help you yourselves could not give me” (Philippians 2:28-30, NIV) Honor people like him because of their faith in Christ, because of their quiet and behind the scenes willingness to risk their own lives for the work of Christ and good of others. I think I would prefer to be that kind of hero than one that is measured by the number of likes on social media.
The other part of his message that resonated with me is that it is easy to say we follow Christ, it is hard to take the actions or steps God expects from us. The saying of “What Would Jesus Do” is an easy mantra to repeat, but not so easy to follow. Leading with love and forgiveness in the face of pain or when it seems to defy any logical thought in today’s world and culture is not easy. Following Christ is not easy. I share with others that either you believe in God or you don’t-seems simple. If you believe in God, you trust in Him and trust His guiding hand, even in the painful moments. What greater testimony are we than when we find a way to forgive, to love, and to encourage when many around us don’t understand how that is possible. It’s only possible with God and God’s grace. That’s a praise moment.
Today, I pray that you focus on what matters-not the likes or popularity but how are you spreading God’s word in your actions, in your relationships? I pray that you find a way to lead with love (LWL in my household) even on the days when it doesn’t seem to make sense to the world.
I pray these words spoke to you, please share with a friend. Don’t miss a blog post, subscribe to my web page.
