I don’t check my Facebook every hour.  I don’t even check it every day.  Sometimes I go for a week or more without checking Facebook.  That’s how I happened to miss a post from a friend who left one of those guilt-tripping, “Share if you care” messages.  You know the ones—”If you’re truly my friend you will leave a comment and share this with all your friends (who don’t even know me), and dye your hair purple in honor of my favorite color and post a selfie, and donate all your money to my favorite charity (me).  Only my real friends will bother.  If you don’t reply, I’ll know you don’t care about me.  You never cared about me.  Our friendship meant absolutely nothing to you.  I might as well be dead. In fact, I may just go kill myself now.”

Oh my gosh!  I don’t need that type of pressure in my life!  I can’t go through my days stressed out about the possibility of missing a post that is designed to make me prove my friendship with someone and if I don’t respond, I will be on that person’s black list for all eternity.  What if my lack of a reply causes that person to start drinking?  Or get so depressed they sit around their house all day in their underwear, not bothering to shower or brush their teeth? Or binge watch episodes of Sponge Bob?  Or dig out their old disco albums and try to resurrect their John Travolta years?  I don’t need that on my conscience.  I have enough drama to deal with in my own life.  Come to think of it, the post I missed was from more of an acquaintance than a friend.  I mean, I care and all that, but not enough to lose sleep over.  I guess I’m not a “real friend.”

The ones I really hate are the ones that admonish me, “If you love Jesus, you will send this to everyone you know, including back to me.”  Let me get this straight.  So if I don’t forward the post to everyone I know, does that mean I don’t love Jesus?  I can’t have people thinking I don’t love Jesus!  I’m a pastor’s wife!  I teach Sunday school! Plus the people who challenged me will know if I don’t resend the message because they stipulated I had to send it back to them!  Then they will think I don’t love Jesus.  What a quandary.  I certainly don’t want people thinking I don’t love Jesus, but on the other hand, I don’t necessarily want my faith being tested by whether or not I forward something another person guilts me into posting.  Besides, I doubt whether Jesus cares if I forward it or not.

True friends are those who don’t make your friendship contingent upon you completing a challenge to prove it.  So for those whom I have failed by not carrying out the assigned task of reposting, I apologize for failing to live up to your expectations.  If you agree with me, please share this with all your friends, including me, or I’ll know you never bothered to read this blog.

Speaking of loving Jesus, remember He is the Reason for the Season.  He loved us so much that He left Heaven and came to earth as a helpless baby, grew up, lived a sinless life, and fulfilled His ultimate purpose by dying on the cross for our sins.  To all who receive Him as Lord and Savior, He gives the right to become children of God.  Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”  I pray everyone reading this has accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  If not, this Christmas season would be a good time to do so.  Give yourself the ultimate gift—the assurance of knowing you will spend eternity in Heaven.

Merry Christmas!