I love social media. I do. I love being able to see pics and posts of close friends and family, their kids, their day to day adventures. (I kindof hate tho, the reposting of every pic we looked at last year already…just saying!)
I especially love Instagram! I love the format. I love searching hashtags. I like it’s relative simplicity.
I like to use Instagram to document my year. I print sticker pics (@socialps is my go to) at Christmas for cards for my girls and their boys, and my sisters and niece – it’s a great little time capture of our years adventures.
Here’s my Beth -she has a couple hanging on her mirror year around.
Unfortunately, there’s this down side of social media. You know, that feeling you get when you’re scrolling, and hey- ‘Why didn’t they post that thing they did with me, when they post that thing they did with ‘he and she’’ …those feelings of hurt or rejection, or not being enough.
I guess what got me thinking this morning, a post of a gift received – the Post-er exclaiming how special they felt, how much they enjoyed the receiving of said gift by said ‘wonderful Giver’… when the Post-er has only sent me a quick generalisque text for a gift I’d sent them two weeks ago….
I felt my gift marginalized. Not good enough. I took it further. I took it personally. I felt denied. rejected.
Ridiculous. Yes, over a note and a gift card. A gift I had sent in cheer, and encouragement. I sent it, knowing it wasn’t earth shattering, but had wanted the Receiver to feel a little love. I had thought I sent it without any strings attached…(obviously not).
I can let that little bitterness of hurt take root in my heart and shape my perspective on the whole day. Every interaction colored by my perceived hurt. Or, I can let God’s Word go deeper in my soul. Thinking on it, and allow it shape my outlook for the day.
‘and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly’
Three times this is quoted in Matthew 6. If I want to live -and give, as my Father wants, I need to be able to give in secret. -it doesn’t need to be acknowledged -and especially so on social media, for it to be of value. In fact, in Gods eyes, when I live and give when others don’t know, that is when it has His blessing.
James 3:13-18 if you want to think on it a little more….here’s verse 17:But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
So before I allow myself to run down that rabbit hole of feeling that I am unloved. That maybe my gift was not cool enough to make an Insta post. I am going to choose to think on this:
I will thank God for loving me, and accepting me.
I will choose to love my Insta (and real life) friend.
I must choose to see there is so much more in the bigger picture of life.
And friendships. Forgiveness and love (and likes!!)
Happy Wednesday – thanks so much for stopping by!!
Here’s a screenshot of my 2017 best nine!
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