@JC

Jilian Brown
Nov 12, 2021
5 min read

Updated: Nov 18, 2021

"Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!

I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long.

Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help.

When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish.

Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free; the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD!”

~Psalm 146

About a year ago, I found myself continually disillusioned with some individuals whom I had followed online for quite some time. These “blue check” people seemed to be changing their message from what it was when I began following them and it was, well, disappointing. Then, I began to think of the weight it must be to carry millions of followers around on your back every. single. day. There is no way any human person was ever meant to have that much exposure. It is soul crushing to be expected to please that many people on a daily basis, especially in our toxic cancel culture mindset.

One day, as I was contemplating all these people whom I “follow,” it occurred to me that I should not truly be following any human person. Because we are all going to get it wrong at some point.

"Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help.When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish."

The mortality of humans in itself limits the capacity for them to be esteemed above all else. I always enjoy watching the Oscars and the Tony Awards each year. There is always the "In Memoriam" section of each show where they recognize those who passed away in the previous year. Lives full of important work are suddenly gone. Their memory and legacy may last for several generations, but the truth is that the public will move on to focusing on the next big star within days. No one human being can handle or hold or sustain eternal worship. There IS eternal value in our work, though. This hopefully makes us breathe easier in our era consumed with likes, checkmarks, and hearts that it does not matter how many followers we have. No matter how many people see us or want to follow us, God sees us and wants to lead us.

“Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free; the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.”

So much of what is being fought over right now in the culture wars is our individual perceptions of right vs. wrong and social justice issues. I find great comfort in this verse that it is the Lord whose ways are highest and most effective in dealing with these issues. We certainly get to participate with Him in these endeavors, and I firmly believe that each person is uniquely created with a passion to make something about this earth better (1 Cor. 12:6-7). We need only follow Him to figure out how. I know people who are giving their lives to helping the homeless, others to domestic violence, others to healing bodies through medicine, teachers shaping our little people, helpers of the elderly, people who care deeply about stewarding the earth well, and many, many more. Acts of good and kindness exist even among those who do not follow God because of the common grace He gives humanity to live on His earth with intellect and imagination, but the best-laid plans of men cannot be compared to even the simplest plans of God. I highly doubt Gideon or Moses or David would have considered God’s plan using their own minds. Our best hope for healing, wholeness, freedom, peace, and love in this world is to follow the ways of the God who created it and wants to see it restored. History affirms this as those who follow the way of Jesus are the ones mostly responsible for founding many of the educational institutions, democracies, hospitals, and orphanages throughout the history of the world. We do not grow weary from doing good, but always strive to bring about God‘s kingdom here on earth (Galatians 6:9).

If that feels overwhelming amid the daily grind of work, school, kids, sports, and social lives, I recommend meditating on the words of Mother Teresa:

“We can do no great things, only small things with great love.”

I have felt my entire life the desire to do “great” things. However, focusing on the smaller things in life with greater intention seems to be what God is continually whispering to me over the past few years. Maybe I wasn't made FOR more, but to GIVE more. I continue to be fascinated by the intentionality of Jesus. He used His allotted time with the people directly in front of Him to minister to them. He spent energy bringing joy to a wedding and making much of children. He fed the hungry, but mostly He fed their souls. He was not seeking attention, praise, status, recognition, or profit. He went about His way greeting men and women, the faithful and the adulterers, the blind and the leper, the scoffers and elite, the hated and revered all with the same exact message: Follow Me. No one is canceled. All are welcome. And the best part is that unlike the celebrities we follow, Jesus is ready to meet with us at any moment we are willing to listen. And He has room for every single one of us. He doesn’t just lead us, but enters into our very life with us and shows us how to be just like Him. We are offered the position of co-heir with the most famous person in human history (Romans 8:17). Astonishingly, not because we first loved Him but because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). We are all looking for something: some a miracle, some proof, some an answer for the tragedies of life, some adventure and meaning. We will not find them on the pages of social media or news sites, but there are pages we can follow towards light and life and they are full of red letters.

@JC

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