Feb
5
2013
Bragging Rights
Posted in Daily Living 2 Comments
I saw a T-shirt today that made me pause.
May your life be as awesome as you pretend it is on Facebook.
The words may be a bit harsh…but they caused me to think.
What do the words say about us?
Many of us have Facebook.
A place to connect with friends, to share pictures, to support and encourage.
Lately, I have been thinking about what constitutes a “friend” on Facebook.
Some of us have a few friends and others have friends numbering in the thousands.
Has social media redefined what it means to be a friend?
Do thousands of friends really know anything about you?
Does your Facebook page truly reflect your life?
Some of these questions are rhetorical…some beg for answers.
If truth be told, only the best of us is posted on Facebook.
The best pictures of our families…the best accomplishments.
The gifts you received for your birthday…your anniversary.
All pictured…with captions.
All highlights…and no bloopers!
None of that is wrong in and of itself.
However, much of the way we portray ourselves can produce emptiness.
Emptiness in ourselves and others.
The person who posted may feel empty when they don’t get enough “likes” on their post.
The person viewing the post feels empty because what they see…is not happening to them!
It can leave everyone feeling as if they come up short.
As if their lives are less than what they should be.
Social media can be very shallow.
There is no depth to many of the relationships there.
Our private lives become very public…all shined up and polished…for all to see.
What if social media truly displayed the everyday?
The glimpse we show the world is the best of us…but not the whole of us.
We are complex people, created in God’s image.
Our lives are so multi-layered that even a novel the length of War and Peace could never begin to capture the essence of who we are.
When He noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, He told them this parable: When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, “Give this man your seat.” Then humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, “Friend, move up to a better place.” Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
(Luke 14:7-11)
Humility and Exaltation.
Jesus taught that WE need to be concerned about humility.
HE will take care of the exaltation…in His time and in His way!
Jesus knows how our life really is…anyway.
We can present it…spin it…highlight it any way we want.
We are not hiding anything from Him.
At the end of the day, the One who knows us best…KNOWS!
What if we used social media as an evangelistic tool?
What if, instead of displaying ourselves so readily, we displayed HIM?
Could we show our lives in such a way that the Glory goes to Him…and not to us?
Could we post pictures of our family…while exalting Him…the Giver of every good gift?
Could we share accomplishments…making certain that they always point back to Him?
No lip service.
Just true thankfulness and gratefulness for His loving, merciful Hand in our life.
Apart from Me, you can do nothing. (John 15:5)
Does our Facebook page reflect that Truth?
Everything we have…everything we are…is because of Him.
Even difficult things are Sovereignly allowed in our lives to refine us and bring Him glory.
Social media is not a soapbox…though it is sometimes used that way.
Social media is not a place to regurgitate our problems…though we feel entitled to a controlled rant from time to time.
Social media can and should be used as a tool to share the Gospel.
How much of HIM do others see in us as they look at our Facebook wall?
We do have bragging rights…but not as we may think.
Let him who boasts boast in the Lord. For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. (2 Corinthians 10:17,18)
How do our Facebook pages hold up under that scrutiny?
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interest of others. You attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 2:3-5)
A bit of self-reflection.
Societal reflection.
Kingdom reflection.
I love this mom! Thanks for writing this. I love you!
Claire,
I love you…deeply.
MOM