True confession: I came to Facebook kicking and screaming. It seemed to me social media had pulled friends and family into a virtual vortex, consuming all their time … and maybe half their soul. (OK, I exaggerate.) After standing on the edge of the pool for 10 years, though, it was time to jump in. The water was pretty chilly at first, for I unwittingly dived right into the middle of the Fall 2016 presidential campaign! It’s been much warmer since. (Thankfully.)
Closely connecting with lifelong friends has been a profoundly gratifying experience for me, and it’s been fun to discover people we’ve known in common. “I didn’t know you knew Mike! He was a fraternity brother of mine.” But what has surprised me most about social media has been the power of “share.” We might post something on our page and reach 70 people, for instance, but when others “share” our post with their friends, it very rapidly expands, reaching two, three, or four times our original audience, sometimes even more. It’s amazing! In fact, over the past 14 months, this blog, “A Word for Wednesday,” has reached people in 32 countries and every continent except Antarctica. From Chile to China, from Cambodia to Namibia, from Poland to Peru, from Myanmar to Mexico—it’s all been the power of “share,” one person passing the post to his or her Facebook friends, who shared it with their friends, and on and on. (See above map of countries reached by this blog.)
Jesus understood both the importance of “post” and the power of “share.” He has written on our hearts the message of salvation through faith in His death and resurrection, and He commands us to share it in compassion for others. Isn’t this how we received the gift of a full and forever life in Christ, by people sharing it from person to person and from generation to generation, until one day it touched our soul? The technology has changed over the years, but the post has not, nor has the call to spread its truth. For when people next door and around the world come to faith in Christ, His kingdom expands—a growing global network of people who live and flourish in Him. This is the power of “share,” and He has entrusted it to us, His friends. What an honor!
“I have called you friends, for everything I have learned from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15).
Jesus, thank you for friending me and for posting your life-giving word in my heart. Grace me with the strength and joy to share you with others as you direct me today. Thank you for this high honor. Amen.
Christ in me is salvation.
[Click here to read Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus’ story about the power, expectation, and results of “share.”]
Did I mention Dale Cory is a worker? Yes, his team assembles beds to meet a basic human need, but that’s just the beginning. When Bed Brigade delivers their frames and mattresses, they share a message with the receiving families, as well: that it is the love of God working through the hearts of people that these beds are made and given to them. Sometimes they also share that God knows what it is like not to have a bed, for when Jesus entered this world, there was none for Him either. And for a permanent reminder, each bed is inscribed with a Bible verse—one that evokes thoughts of God’s love in the evening hours. There are several from which one could choose, I suppose— “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8), or “When you lie down, you will not be afraid, when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet” (Proverbs 3:24). Finally, the delivery team gives each family a Bible (including picture Bibles for the children), encourages them to find a nearby church for fellowship, care and growth, and before leaving, they pray with the family over any specific needs they may share.
Paul Nordman—Author 