It's Monday morning. Your alarm starts to buzz. Since you would rather sleep in instead of get out of bed, you hit the snooze button on your alarm, and turn your head to the other side of your pillow. 10 minutes later, your alarm goes off again. I should probably get up now, you mutter to yourself. You check your phone and see that your phone screen is filled with countless notifications from various apps. You have 5 messages waiting to be opened and some missed phone calls. Your inbox is flooded with various emails. Pinterest lets you know that five people saved your pin. You have 10 notifications, 3 messages, and 5 pokes waiting to be returned on Facebook.
In this 21st century, technology has become more increasingly advanced, and social media has become more popular. The first time I have ever owned a phone was either in 7th or 8th grade, around 6 to 7 years ago. I was elated when I finally owned a purple LG Rumor Touch, loaded with a cool touch screen and QWERTY keyboard. Even to this day, I'm pretty sure my old phone is probably hiding somewhere in my house. Anyways, fast forward to 2017, and you will find that many elementary school and even middle school students own an iPhone. Popular technology such as smartphones allow us access to many social media platforms such as Facebook, Vine, Twitter, Snapchat, and numerous others. Social media is great, but when we let it consume our lives, then it becomes an issue. Sometimes, we can get so caught up in the amount of likes, retweets, follows, and comments that we begin to compare ourselves to others. We may become happy when our status receives 30 likes, but then become disappointed when we see that someone else's status receives 100 likes. Honestly, I admit that I have posted something on social media only to delete it 20 minutes later because no one has not liked it. There are moments when I post a photo on Instagram and become a little disappointed when my photo does not get as many likes as I thought it would. One thing I have learned from social media is that no matter what, there will always be someone else who gets more likes on their photo than I do. There will always be someone else who will get more retweets than you, more followers than you, or more views of their Story on Snapchat than you. You know what, though? That's okay. Why? Because you are not defined by the amount of followers or retweets you get. God created each of us to be unique. We are all human. We all have different personalities, different traits, and different appearances. The way each of us view life differs. Just as "No two snowflakes are alike," not even a pair of identical twins think exactly the same or share the exact same personality. Despite our differences, you and I share some similarities. For one thing, I believe we both have the ability to laugh, to smile, to cry; to feel joy and feel pain. We all have struggles. We have all faced trials. Whatever you may be facing right now, know that you are not alone. Social media platforms do not define you who are. Do not let the amount of likes and followers cause you to forget who you are in Christ. Photo filters do not define you. What others say about you does not define you. Your true identity lies in the One who breathed life into you: God alone. Remember this: "Whenever you feel unloved. unimportant, or insecure, remember to whom you belong" (Ephesians 2:19-22). Today, tell yourself, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made," because "[God's] works are wonderful" (Psalm 139:14). What God thinks and says about you is far more important than what others think or say about you. Let God shape you and mold you into being who He has truly created you to be. You, my friend, are truly special. You are loved. You are super cool. -Johanna
0 Comments
|
AuthorHello there! Welcome to my blog! My name's Johanna. I am a Jesus-loving twenty-year-old who also loves to make people laugh, spend time with family, explore the outdoors, and take photos. I hope my blog inspires and encourages you to draw more closer to God and enjoy life more. Remember that you were created for a purpose. You are wonderful. Archives
June 2017
Categories |