Are You FBO with Jesus?
December 13, 2012
By Brian Steele, @briancsteele
Facebook reshaped social media more than Starbucks reshaped caffeine addiction. Now it seems that Facebook is integral in dating relationships, especially among the younger generation. In fact, there is an entirely new step in dating relationships that MUST be taken if you want to be taken seriously: becoming Facebook Official. AKA FBO.
When you change your Facebook profile status to “In a relationship with…” then you are considered FBO with your boy/girlfriend. What immediately follows is a truckload of your friends hitting their “Like” button, commenting “Who is it?????” and “Tell me more!!!!!”. Then all of your friends dig through your date’s entire Facebook profile looking for any photo, comment or slight indication the person might be an escaped felon. Don’t tell me you haven’t done this.
Mind you, becoming FBO occurs only after a few other steps are first taken in the relationship:
- The DTR talk: Determine The Relationship. This logically comes after:
- The AFD: Awkward First Date. Which only happens after:
- The FMAHGPPP: First Meeting and Heart Going Potato Potato Potato
Becoming FBO is a significant step because you are announcing to the world that you are serious in your relationship.
[Transition from somewhat snarky introduction to a serious spiritual application and the whole point of this blog post...]
If consider yourself a follower of Jesus, I wonder if you are FBO with Jesus? Here are some pointed questions that serve as a barometer of your relationship with the King of Kings:
- Have you DTR’d with Jesus, invited him into serious, life-changing, eternal relationship with you?
- Are you intimate enough with Jesus that you feel safe sharing your deepest anxiety, fear and shame with him?
- Do you long to spend time with Jesus, and ache when you’ve spent too much time apart?
- Is it your greatest joy to do acts of service out of love just to bless and give Jesus glory?
- Can you share with your friends that you love Jesus and invite them to do the same?
You might not be FBO with Jesus if:
- You are ashamed to speak the name of Jesus before your friends, family and people close to you.
- You worry that your relationship with Jesus will have a big negative impact on your own, grand plans for your life.
- You can spend a considerable amount of time away from Jesus without any noticeable change in your life.
- Other people can’t distinguish you in any way from other people who don’t follow Jesus.
- You spend more time on Facebook than you do meeting Jesus in God’s Book.
We click a Facebook button to change our relationships before our friends. Jesus gave his life to change his relationship with a lost and broken world. This is what Jesus says about being FBO with him:
So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 10:32-33)
Are you FBO with Jesus?
Leave a comment and let us know stories of how going FBO with Jesus has impacted your life.
With women there seems to be another step before (sometimes weeks or months before) the FBO dramatic post. Look for them to post annoying little ‘non-hints’ like “I’m so happy.” as their status. Or, “Someone cooked me the BEST little dinner I’ve had in YEARS. I’m SOOOOO spoiled!!!” And then when you aren’t surprised when the FBO is finally published they will be all offended that you read in to their updates what they CLEARLY didn’t say.
It’s complicated business, isn’t it?
Brian, this is a great line: “You can spend a considerable amount of time away from Jesus without any noticeable change in your life.”