by Lydia Walker | Jun 20, 2024 | Featured, Followers & Fame, Life Advice, LO Library, Purpose & Calling, Social Media, Testimonies
FOLLOWER
DEFINITION: Someone that follows the opinions or teachings of another and imitates the other.
As someone who grew up in a time when social media was being created and continually growing, I joined each new platform as they were introduced. Once my accounts were established, my attention began to be drawn to how many followers I had. At this point, my idea of following someone or even being followed by someone only related to a number on my social media account. My days would be consumed with thoughts like these:
Has the number gone up today on my list of followers? Did I lose any followers? Who unfollowed me? Why did they unfollow me? Why did that picture get less likes than my others? What about that picture made people like it more? What can I do to be sure that I don’t lose any more followers? What do I need to do to make sure more people want to follow me?
Maybe these are some thoughts or questions that have filled your mind more times than you would like to admit like they have mine. Maybe these are some thoughts that have become like second nature to you and you don’t even realize that you are thinking them anymore.
If this is you currently or has been you before, I want to challenge you today to a question and share some truths that have truly changed the way that I walk through my life here on this earth in the midst of a social media driven culture.
What does it mean to be a true follower of Jesus Christ in today’s culture?
In the same way that my mind used to only think of social media when I thought about having followers or being a follower, my mind now immediately thinks of a couple of biblical synonyms to the word. I now hear the word follower and immediately think about discipleship and the beauty of truly, wholeheartedly following the most important person you could ever choose to follow. I now hear the word follower and immediately think about being an imitator of Christ in all that I do here on this earth.
The question we ought to be asking ourselves in today’s culture isn’t, “Do I have a big following on social media?” The question to ask ourselves is, “Who am I following above all else, and who am I pointing others towards in the midst of my pursuit?”
Now trust me, like many of the good things that we are offered in Christ, I know that this shift in mindset is much easier said than done! I know that this mindset is easy to desire, and a lot harder to put into action. I know this from my own walk with the Lord, and I want to encourage you today that believing in the truth of this new mindset is the first step in walking a life completely, sincerely, sold-out for the growth of the Kingdom of the Lord. Which, by the way, is a calling that each and every one of us is responsible for!
It is said in Matthew 28:18-20, “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Y’all! That wasn’t just a suggestion that Jesus mentioned to His disciples before His time here on this earth with us was finished. That was the greatest commission that Jesus spoke for ALL of us as the body of Christ to get to step into! What a joy it is to know that the Lord has invited us into doing kingdom work alongside Him and that His spirit will be with us through it all until the very end of the age!
So now that we are here, we may be to the point that we can agree that our mindset needs a shift. We may be at the point that we believe that the question we should be asking ourselves is, “Who am I following above all else, and who am I pointing others towards in the midst of my pursuit?” So what next? How do I truly live out a life devoted to following Jesus Christ above all else?
In my personal experience, it takes realizing that this life is out of your control to begin to realize that you need God to lead you through it. Maybe you have been a believer of Jesus for a long time but you haven’t truly been following Him wholeheartedly. I want to encourage you that you are in the right place today to encounter God in a fresh way. Even if you have been running or settling for the lies of this world, you are always in the right place to have an encounter with Jesus Christ. He is simply waiting for you to turn your face to Him and surrender all. And ultimately, for us to truly follow Christ in a way that we become imitators of Him, we must set out to know Him intimately in order to discover how to become more like Him to the people around us.
What if instead of only thinking of our followers on socials for our own glory, we actually viewed each and every number in the same way that Jesus sees and loves them. What if we actually saw each and every number as a human being who can either be pointed towards or away from the cross through the stories, pictures, and captions we choose to post. What if we viewed social media as one of our greatest mission fields to go out and share the love of God with all people we come in contact with. For it is said in Romans 10:14-15,
“How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.”
Lord, may the desires of our hearts be to be the hands and the feet who bring good news to a generation that is desperate for a savior to follow. Lord, may we not care if it costs us followers, as long as we are following YOU!
Lydia Walker is a member of LO Worship and an Area Representative for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Northeast Louisiana. She lives in Louisiana with her husband Reeves and her golden doodle, Teddy. Keep up with Lydia on Instagram @lrd.walker!
by Lydia Walker | Feb 25, 2021 | Life Advice, Testimonies |
About a year and a half ago, I was feeling completely broken and empty on the inside. One morning during this difficult time, I woke up, and for a split second, I actually felt a sense of peace. It was that peace that is felt in the moment you begin to open your eyes. It’s also that peace that disappears as soon as your eyes adjust to the sunlight coming in and reality suddenly sets in. Reality sets in, and you immediately just wish that everything could be a dream. You wish that you could just go back to sleep and never have to face real life. Has anyone else ever had a morning like this before? As I took a moment to face my reality that morning, I decided to scroll through my pinterest to look for a new lock-screen. The first picture I came across read, “Today I choose joy!” For some reason, that picture felt like a message from God. It felt like God was telling me, “Hey! You’re going to be okay! All you have to do is CHOOSE ME!” That morning, through my tears and sobs, I downloaded that picture with the message “Today I Choose Joy” to make it the new lockscreen on my phone, and it is still the same today.
Have you ever considered the possibility that someone can be considered a happy person, yet they may actually be completely empty on the inside? For years, I believed that my ultimate goal in life was to be happy. I set this goal for myself years and years ago after sitting down and writing a letter to my future self. I strived every single day after that to be the happiest person around. It was an everyday battle that I faced until around one year ago. That goal I had set for myself, in completely honest terms, was just setting myself up for complete failure for the next 7 years of my life. I could make sure to smile at every person that glanced in my direction. I could be involved in all of the different social groups. I could attend all of the best parties. I could be dating some of the most popular, best looking guys in town. I could be posting all of the ‘perfect’ posts on instagram. I could even LOOK like the most happy girl around, but the truth is, none of these things ever satisfied and fulfilled my goal to always be “happy.”
The truth is, happiness is just an emotion that is based upon all of the little things that are going well in our lives around us. The hard truth is, it is impossible to feel happy 24/7/365! The smile that I made sure everyone saw when looking at me eventually fell into a dull frown. The social groups that I was a part of eventually came to an end. The parties that I attended always left me feeling more alone than ever before. The boys that I put all of my hope in would eventually let me down. Many of my instagram posts were staged, and reality would hit every time I hit “post.” The truth is, happiness is fleeting. Happiness is an impossible feeling to feel all day everyday! It is the hard truth that I eventually had to come to terms with after years and years of striving for something that can simply never be achieved.
Joy, on the other hand, is not like this. No, Joy found in the Lord is nothing like the happiness that I, along with so many others, search for for so many years. Joy in the Lord remains even in and through the trials that we face. What a difference!!! The happiness that the world tries to hold onto can never even begin to compare to the joy that we can CHOOSE to find in the Lord.
When we look around at the world surrounding us, it is so easy to become caught up in all of the negativity. It is so easy to be distracted and discouraged by the trials and persecutions that take place on a daily basis, but it is in those moments of doubt and distraction that the Lord calls us to cling onto the truth that is only found in Him. The word of God says that God is GOOD and that He works all things together for His divine purpose. (Romans 8:28) I don’t know about you, but if there’s one thing that I’m 100% sure of, it is God’s word to His people. When you begin choosing to see things in a different perspective, you will also begin to recognize that maybe the trials that we are faced with were never meant to break us. Maybe the trials of this world are given to us as a gift to make us more like Jesus! In James we are told to consider it ALL joy! (James 1: 2-3) This statement made by James is the same truth that helped Jesus face the most cruel and evil, yet equally beautiful and world changing trial to have ever existed, the cross, with a heart of joy. ( Hebrew 12:2) It is when we begin to shift our focus to what God is actually doing through the trials in our lives that we can also begin to see these trials as joy knowing that Jesus ultimately wants good for us!
The truth is, you cannot fake joy. Joy is something that you either have or you don’t have, and I promise you, you can tell a difference! The bible actually tells us throughout scripture that joy is the very essence of who God truly is! (1 Chronicles 16:27) If the Lord is filled with joy, and the Lord is shaping His children to become more and more like Him, why would we not desire to be filled with that same joy? Why should we not recognize the difference between a world that is full of circumstantial happiness and an everlasting joy that is being offered to us?
About a year and a half ago, the day that I opened my eyes and struggled to face my reality, turned out to be one of the best days of my life. It was that day that I realized that I have a choice to make every single day. I wake up every morning, and have the choice to choose joy that can only be found in the Lord. God has taught me that joy is a gift from Him that cannot be taken away. I do not have to depend on the circumstances of life anymore when I have the joy of the Lord living inside of me. Today, my satisfaction is found in a new life that I have been given in Christ, and my prayer is that everyone can find that same everlasting satisfaction in Him.
This same joy that I have experienced is available to everyone; all you have to do is start by making that choice!
“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” John 15:11
Lydia is a part of Team LO and a 7 on the enneagram. Some of her favorite things include coffee dates, hanging with friends, and spending time with Jesus. She plans to pursue a career in counseling when she graduates in the spring!
Follow Lydia on Instagram @lrdozier
