Purpose in a World of Clicks, Likes and Follows

 I took my oldest granddaughter shoe shopping along with one of her best friends last week. It was not as frightening as it may sound. We had a good time. We went to dinner afterwards and had a very special time of conversation, laughter and even got a free dessert for her when the waiter heard how exceptional her ACT score was. (Shameless bragging here.)

In the course of the conversation, the two girls were talking about different school situations and an upcoming awards night. A certain girl’s name came up and both of them rolled their eyes at the mention of her name. I probed a bit. As it turns out, this other girl has one of the highest GPA’s in their Junior class,  but my granddaughter and her friend said most students are aware that she does a fair amount of cheating to maintain it. Madison, my granddaughter, also made the observation that her classes were all the normal ones, while the majority of hers were AP (Advance Placement) and that she also had a couple of dual-enrollment as well. Her friend threw in here that this girl had all the teachers fooled that she was a ‘good Christian girl’, but her classmates knew better. I tried to smooth it over with the expected remarks of ‘don’t focus on her’, ‘just keep your eyes on your own goals’. 

With a large sigh, Madison finally said, “Nonni, you don’t get it. I’m so sick of her getting all this praise from everybody that she doesn’t deserve. It’s not fair. We all know that she cheats, and she lies, but the teachers think she is so awesome and amazing. It’s annoying.” Okay. Time for preachy Nonni.

Frankly, I remember being young, okay, younger, and being given words of spiritual wisdom. The reality is that in the moment it is hard to take real comfort in those words. I want satisfaction, justice or some sort of equity now. Not in some spiritual manifestation in the future. Things need to be real. And I get that. But I spoke up anyway. 

I reminded them that Jesus told us that when we do things to be seen of men, then we have our reward. I looked these two girls directly in the eyes and told them if this young woman was seeking the approval of her teachers for her schoolwork and studies, then she was getting the reward of her endeavors. And that most likely would be it. I then asked them, who knows us the best? Who do we have the hardest time fooling? We all agreed that it is the people we live with—our siblings, parents, and someday our spouses. I even squeezed in there someday our children. 

I let them know, trying to disguise your true character will not work for very long. It will reveal itself to those who are the most important in your life. And when you are out of the education system and have an employer and work colleagues, your character and integrity will be tested regularly. 

Your purpose in doing what you do matters. Do it for your future, I told them. Do it because it is the right thing to do. Do it because God told us that everything we do in our lives we are to do ‘as to the Glory of God.’ 

Truthfully, I’m not convinced that they will like this girl any more than they already did. I don’t know if they will remember my words or not. But I know they are truth. Because God keeps reminding me of them. For the simple reason that I need reminding.

When a blogger post a blog, there is a counter that the author has access that tells them how many times the post was read. The Follow button is there to gain followers and a count is kept. The temptation for a person to check back, often, is always there. How many clicks? How many follows? When a post is posted on a social media page, did anyone like it? 

If this is the motivation that drives the work, there is much discouragement to be had. But if there is a higher purpose, a calling if you will, then we can look beyond the clicks, likes and follows. We can write, post and upload with a heart of obedience. We can lay our work on the altar of sacrificial work, and let God do with it what He will. 

This principle goes beyond social media, blogging or school grades. This is life. We have a purpose that is more than achieving the praise and approval of this world we are temporarily living in. We wake each morning with a purpose to become just a little bit more like Him today than we were yesterday. Do one thing today that Jesus would have done if He were here. See my world through His eyes.  Find purpose.