Rebranding - Caution: Items In Mirror Are "Faker" Than They Appear

I have had this post swirling around in my head for a little bit, just trying to figure out how to put down "on paper" what I've been thinking about this subject. I've had conversations with several friends about this and have seen other friends post similar things. So here it goes...

There are lots of different "mirrors" that we use to view ourselves through. The particular "mirror" the title refers to is social media. It has been weighing on my heart and mind lately how things are portrayed on social media. Sites and apps such as Facebook and Instagram can be great and definitely have a place in today's world. I, honestly, probably spend more time on both than I should and like using both of them to keep up with what's going on with friends and family both near and far. I love your posts and pics of your babies, your pets, your dinners, and the like. I truly do! And I'm sure if you follow me on either platform you know I like to post the things going on in my life right now, especially the things I cook and bake! Sorry if that gets annoying, but I enjoy those things and like to share them. Ha ha!

The struggle that I sometimes face, and I feel others face too, is I forget that most of what is posted on social media is filtered. It's edited. It's fixed to only show the good parts that people want shown. I'm just as guilty as the next person. Sure, you'll see that pic of those yummy cookies I just baked but very rarely will I include a pic of the mess that my kitchen became in the process! It's easy to post a picture of us and our significant other that's all roses and sunshine but it would be rather surprising to see one where we talk about the argument we just had over how to load the dishwasher and who hogs the covers. And that's fine, because it is our prerogative to share what we want and how we want.

The "problem" I sometimes have comes in when I forget about that filtering and editing and careful choosing and let the seeds of things like jealousy and comparison take root. No one has the perfect house, perfect spouse, perfect child, etc. no matter how we portray it. And I don't want to let my time online keeping up with my friends and family turn into a depressing time where I start to doubt aspects of my life or feel like I don't have it as "easy" as the other person.

It's at times like those that I have to remind myself that God has a plan for each of us. And it may not include what we want exactly when we want it. And we shouldn't let social media lead us to a place where we are not content with what we have. We all have messes and ugliness and moments that would not make those cute "Top 9 of 2016" posts that a bunch of us posted recently. And that's OK. It's all part of the bigger picture where Jesus meets us in that mess and that ugliness and loves us just how we are, picture perfect life or not.