Have you been caught in the trap of spending lots of time viewing other people’s lives that you maybe forget the authenticity of your own life?
The dynamics of our society have changed considerably over the last decade and there are times when it feels I must hold on before I miss my ride to the uniqueness of my own life.
Every now and then I find myself on an unexpected ride through the stories of others and then dealing with my own perception. An experience I am not always prepared for.
Facebook. Instagram. Twitter. And the list goes on. I want to see everything there is, whether good, mysterious or interesting. Only to find myself caught in the two way tie of wanting to see everything that may have a good impact on me, but not let it overtake my life. A conundrum called, FOMO (the fear of missing out)!
So the inevitable question came up: have I allowed the fear of missing out to imprint on how I see myself?
Am I true to running my unique race, which God specifically designed for me? Do I measure my worth and impact based on the seemingly perfections of others I see on a daily basis?
I will have to admit, there have been times where I measured myself based on the displays of perfections others posted about themselves. How about you?
The impact of social media has become a very real battle for most of us. We see images of perfection displayed and before we know it, we desire to be like that, have that, become that, and the list goes on. We measure our own worth and value based on what we see about others.
How can I make myself look like her? How do they manage to go to all those beautiful places? I would not mind having their life. Is who I am, what I do and what I have enough? Should I change? I do not seem to measure up to these pictures? All of these are questions we ask and perceptions we have based on images of which we will never see the full story.
Before you know, you begin to judge yourself and measure your worth. Nothing you are or have is enough. You want what they have. You want to do what they do and you want to see what they see. Envy and jealousy become a daily struggle and instead of spending our thoughts and energy on Jesus and all the amazing things He has already done for us and is still doing every day, we keep our minds on a pit of desires that can never be satisfied.
Do the displays of perfections make you feel like you are not measuring up at all? Can this be right?
If we turn our attention away from ourselves and how we see ourselves, we see the following:
We form our opinions based on the status updates we see instead of having a personal conversation or relationship. Social media becomes our way of communicating, instead of picking up the phone and calling or setting a time and place to have a coffee. We have become a faceless community where pictures and status updates define and measure the impact of our lives.
What can we do about it?
It is a choice. Social media is just as good as it can cause harm, but we get to choose the impact it has on our lives and whether we are going to use it for the better.
Be glad for those who seem to have perfect lives and instead of envying and desiring what they have, pray that God will fulfill the desires of their hearts and let His will be done in their lives. Do not look at status updates to define and search for who you already are. You are a precious, called and worthy son or daughter of God our Father. He provides for you in every need and more. You do not need to remove yourself from the world of social media but you can structure its presence in your life to fit your needs.
Follow those who can speak life into your world, bring purpose and promises across your path. Seek God in the midst of what you see. When you see things that confuse or make you stop to scroll further, take it to God and let Him tell you what to do or make of it. Do not face the world of social media in your own power and will. Take it to God and let Him show you what is for your good, what is not to be entertained and what can be used to create an open door for Him by praying and surrendering yourself and others to Him.
Surrender your time and thoughts to God and let Him decide who and what should impact on the picture you have about yourself.