We live in a time of accessibility. Thanks to social media, our lives are on display for the whole world to see. We spend countless hours pinning ideas on how we’re going to be better. Better parents. Better spouses. Better Christians. Better anything…because who we are just doesn’t seem to measure up. It feels as if who we already are will never be enough. We post to Instagram and wait for the “likes” to start rolling in. As if there is a magical number that will indicate we’re officially successful, officially enough. So focused are we on the acceptance of others, everything else blurs into our peripheral.
“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” ~Romans 12:2~
Before I take this any further, by no means am I say ALL social media is bad or spawned from Satan; although I do feel he uses it to his advantage when the opportunities arise. I actually think social media is wonderful. Without it, I wouldn’t be able to share my thoughts on the matter. Without it, my Facebook friends would miss out on the onslaught of pictures of my kids. My concern comes in when we {myself included} begin to compare ourselves to the moms and wives and Christians on the other side of the computer screen. Those are the opportunities that Satan lies in wait for and then uses to hurt us. Satan likes nothing more than to get inside our heads and feed us lies. He tells us our houses aren’t clean enough and that good moms never serve frozen pizza. He declares that to be successful we must work outside of the home but then turns around and weaves a guilt trip for leaving our babies behind. We will never be smart enough, fit enough, or wealthy enough in Satan’s eyes. Our clothes will never quite be on trend and our roots will always need touched up. When we spend hours and hours pouring over the perfect Instagram picture or the picture-perfect Pinterest worthy home, wishing for what we don’t have, we’re opening a door. A door that Satan will not only throw open, but throw away. He wants that unprotected access to our thoughts and our emotions because he knows what makes us tick. He’s roamed this earth; his consolation prize, studying our habits and our tendencies for centuries. He is ruthless, he is cunning, and he doesn’t fight fair. We will always feel inadequate when we listen to Satan.
“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” ~1 Peter 5:8~
Now, I don’t know if you know this or not, but this whole adulting gig is hard. It is hard to pay the bills and do the things and raise our kids to become decent members of society someday. I love my husband and my kids but there are times when this mom needs a time out. Social media can be a wonderful outlet for stress. With just 15 minutes of uninterrupted screen time, I can destress, find something inspirational to read, and have a new recipe to try next week. As much as I believe that Satan lurks out there in the world wide web, I know Christ is just as present. There to show us His truths and contradict Satan’s lies. Pinterest is filled with His words all prettied up in a picture. Words of truth and affirmation from the bible proclaiming who we truly are in God’s eyes. Words like fearless {Isaiah 41:10}, loved {1 John 3:1}, courageous {Joshua 1:9}, beautiful {Song of Songs 4:7} and saved {John 3:16}. You are valuable {Luke 12:7} and forgiven {Colossians 3:12-14} and your story isn’t over yet {Philippians 1:6}. God calls us His masterpiece {Ephesians 2:10}. That just gives me goosebumps!! Think about it. The creator of the universe, the one who started it all calls you His masterpiece. He can command the waves and crumble the tallest mountains, yet He knows the number of hairs on your head. You are that important to Him. You are His beloved child.
Lauren Daigle’s new song You Say really captures the spiritual battle that goes on around us. She sings about God’s truths when we’re surrounded by Satan’s lies.
“I keep fighting voices in my mind that say I’m not enough.”
Satan’s lies are nothing more than spiritual arrows hurled at us from all directions. They come from the perfect posts made by the perfect moms and the perfect families. What we don’t always realize is our skewed vision of perfect comes from Satan. That mom that seems like she has it all together, might just think that you’re the perfect one. When we live a life of comparison and if-only’s, we perpetuate the cycle of lies. We will never feel adequate or enough. We will continue to square our shoulders and put on the mask that hides the truth. Day in and day out, we will live in a lie and for what, appearances? One more like on our “perfect” life? I’ve been there myself and still struggle with this, daily. But, when we choose to thrive in God’s grace and love and truth, we secure His armor {Ephesians 6:10-19} around us.
“You say I am loved when I can’t feel a thing. You say I am strong when I think I am weak. You say I am held when I’m falling short. When I don’t belong, oh you say I am yours. I believe.”
I came across a quote by Brene Brown that says, “Owning your story is the bravest thing you will ever do.” I honestly don’t know much about Dr. Brown, but her quote caught my attention. We can get so caught up in living the life of everyone around us, we forget to live our own. It’s ok to not have it all together, all the time. Like actress, Sophia Bush said, “You are allowed to be both a masterpiece & a work in progress simultaneously.” No matter where we are in our journey, we are always enough and never not loved by Christ. We will have days where we do have it together and feel like we’re mastering this whole adulting thing. The inside will match the outside and we will be able to drop the mask. But, there will also be days where life isn’t sunshine and roses. Life will be hard, life is hard. I urge you…put down the mask. Own your truths however messy and unperfect they may look to you. Be fearless and brave and beautiful. Choose to believe the truths that Christ so desperately wants you to own. Leave behind Satan and the lies he so frantically wants you to embrace. Instead, choose to believe what God says of you and sing…
“Oh I believe, yes I believe what you say of me. Oh, I believe.”
Blessings...
~R~
PS: Here is a video by Jon Jorgenson entitled, Who You Are: A Message To All Woman. I've watched many times and have yet to get tired of it. It's powerful and affirming and something we all need to remember. And incase any men happen across this blog post, Mr. Jorgenson also has a video entitled, Who You Are: A Message To All Men. Enjoy!
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