A “Like” from God
The other day, a friend and I went to this hipster café. If you have never been to one, let me describe it for you. Instead of the name of the restaurant, only a simple logo marks the entryway. Caged lights hang from the ceiling, illuminating a vintage typewriter by the door with a “Please Do Not Touch!” sign on it. A metal scooter furnishes one wall, while a mounted stag head stares blankly from another. It sounds like a strange place, but people delight in its quirkiness. When the food and drinks came out, we spent a solid ten minutes arranging and re-arranging everything, trying to achieve the perfect picture to post on Instagram. At one point my friend climbed precariously onto a rickety chair in order to snap an aerial view of the spread, and I applauded her dedication to food photography. By the time we sat down to eat, the ice cream was half melted. But who cares? We got great pictures that were sure to win double-taps on social media!
Oh, the lengths we will go in order to obtain the approval of other people. I want people to think I am smart, pretty, funny, popular, and nice; however, I sometimes worry that my social media persona and I are two different people. Perhaps you know somebody who acts incredibly bubbly online but sulks around in real life. You look at them and scoff, wondering why someone would put so much effort into putting up a façade. Yet we do the same by constantly living our lives to gain admiration from other people. It may not be via social media, but in the way we dress, the jokes we make, and even how hard we work, we seek acknowledgement and appreciation from other people. I understand that everyone should look to gain the respect and trust of others, to glorify God through our reputation and name as a Christian. However, the question remains: is the purpose of our life on Earth meant to be the exaltation of self in the eyes of fellow men?
Paul writes, “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10). Apparently, being a servant of Christ entails trying to win the approval of God, not people. Which sounds great in theory, but how can a lowly sinful human being win the approval of the King of the Universe? It is hard enough trying to make our own parents proud of us. Although human beings may strive for and admire wealth, good looks, or even excellent health, Jesus never stopped to applaud these attributes. The only thing that Jesus commended people for was their faith.
In Luke 7, a centurion recognizes Jesus’ power and requests healing for his servant; however, before Jesus gets to the house, the centurion sends word that he is not worthy of having Him enter under his roof. The centurion believes that Jesus has the ability to heal without even being physically present next to the sick person. To my knowledge, Jesus had not conducted a long-distance miracle before this instance—not because He could not do it, but because nobody had had the faith to ask Him of such a miracle before. In verse 9, Jesus “marveled at him…and said unto the people that followed him, ‘I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.’” This Gentile demonstrated his incredible faith in Christ and won the admiration of the Son of God. Sure, he had a great reputation among men (vs. 3-5), but imagine the centurion’s humble gratitude in knowing that Jesus approved of him, a non-Jew.
God loves when we exercise our faith, when we ask Him for the unheard-of, the impossible. Too often we only ask for “safe” requests, ones that are probably bound to happen anyway, or requests that are so vague we will never be sure if it is answered or not. For example, you pray, “Please be with us today.” But think about it! How will you even know if God answered that prayer? I challenge you to claim God’s power. You say He is All-Powerful, but do you believe it? If you have no impossible obstacles in your life, then claim that power for someone else, just like this centurion did for his servant. Have some faith that He wants to answer your prayer, and that He can do what nobody else can. And maybe one day, Jesus will meet you face to face and say, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!” (Matt. 25:23). Now this is a purpose worth living for.
Jamie Kim is currently a second year dental student at Loma Linda University.