Alas, another day has come and gone, and I’m not proud to admit how much of my time was sucked away by social media. Even the way I worded that sentence makes it sound as if it were the fault of social media and not my own. Still, after scrolling through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and even a bit of Pinterest today, one thing suddenly became clear to me in this moment (other than the fact that I spent too much time on my phone today). I raced for my laptop to start typing this because there are a few words that you all need to read today, words that I’m guessing you won’t find in a status update.
Your true beauty rests in who God says you are.
While I know most of my friends on social media don’t mean to portray this, I can’t help but feel the tension of constant comparison in the world of Facebook. Everyone’s pictures and posts are so seemingly perfect, and it’s hard to not get caught up in it.
“If I pose just right, will it make me look more attractive?”
“If I select the right filter, will I get more likes?”
“If I check my phone every five minutes, will it somehow make me have more notifications?”
Am I the only one that thinks like this? I know I’m not alone in this struggle. Even if it’s not in the virtual world of the internet, it’s in the real world as we pass by one another in the grocery store, at the mall. We’ve gotten so caught up in this picture perfect world that I think we have forgotten where our true worth comes from.
When I was in college, I was a summer staff counselor at a Christian camp, and I got to lead junior high and high school girls. Even though I had been born and raised in the church, had read through the entire Bible probably more than once, and was at the time a Bible college student, I came across a Bible verse that first summer of camp that I had somehow missed in all my previous years of being a Christ follower.
“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17
Maybe it’s because it’s found in a book called “Zephaniah”, or maybe because the first time I had read through that book, I wasn’t really listening to the words I was reading. I’m not sure how I missed something so significant, but there it was, smacking me in the face of my 20 year old self, and I could hardly handle it.
God takes great delight in me? Seriously? God rejoices over me with singing? Really?
If this was true, then it would change everything for me. And it did.
Because it is true. Because the God of the universe, the God who created me in my mother’s womb didn’t make a mistake on me. He looks upon me with greater affection than I could ever imagine. He delights in who I am. He sings over me.
This shaped my identity. It should shape yours. Your true beauty isn’t found in an Instagram or Facebook post. It’s not defined by how many people think you’re pretty. It certainly isn’t determined by what others have said, do say, or will say about you.
Your true beauty rests in who Jesus Christ says you are. And friend, He takes great delight in you. He always has.
I can so relate to the time spent on social media! I love the reminder of finding our identity in Christ and not Facebook or Instagram. Thanks for your thoughts!
It is so true. So often we can become consumed by social media. We become absorbed in the lives of others and pray that they admire our posts as much as we admire theirs. But it is in God that we should find our joy, because like “Zephaniah” said and you reiterated, God delights in me! In us, in every individual person. He delights in our quirks, passions, faults. Such a beautiful message and reminder in this cluttered life! Wonderfully written!