Christmas on Social Media
The joys and trappings of capturing every moment
by Christina
Keeping Up with the Joneses
In our current culture the Joneses mostly hang out on Social Media! The reality of keeping up with what everyone is doing and wearing and how sweet and happy and special their lives are is more challenging for our generation than any that have gone before us!
I want to say that we are not anti social media by any means. (Check us out on Facebook and Instagram!) For many of us, social media is a great way to communicate, stay connected, and use as a special tool to document what is going on in our lives, and in the development of our children; it’s as much for our benefit as for any one else’s.
Our process around healthy social media usage might be a new conversation for our generation (and our children), but the temptations it brings up in our hearts are not. In light of trying to navigate healthy hearts, and places of pain and growth, as well as honoring the Lord in our social media usage, here are some scriptures and some thoughts for you to consider!
1. What We Can’t See
Proverbs 14:30
A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.
Ecclesiastes 4:4
And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
When looking at the lives of others on social media, keep in the front of your mind, “Your life is a journey and so is theirs.” We never know what is happening behind the scenes of those beautiful Instagram pictures. Celebrate with them and mourn with them, but don’t compare yourself with them because it’s not a fair comparison. Ever! Ultimately, we’re all on the same team!
As you’re processing this with the Holy Spirit, can I encourage you to be brave? Ask the Lord to show you specific places where you’ve been wrestling with comparison. (Comparison is sneaky. It creeps up in places we least expect it to.) Invite Him to speak His truth over your heart. Invite Him to remind you of your identity, rooted and grounded in who He is.
2. Wherever You Are, Be All There!
Philippians 2:3,4
3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
During the Christmas season there are so many magical moments and events and traditions that we want to capture, and we should capture them, but we need to be aware of where our focus and attention is going. Let’s not miss the moment or even ruin the moment because we have to document it and edit it and comment on it and post it and like it and share it.
Give the people you love and the people you are with value by being WITH them! Look into the eyes of those that you’re around.
My five-year-old, August, who is the sweet easygoing one in my brood, got into the habit of saying, “Mum, mum, are you listening? Mum, look at me!” because he knows that, just because she’s said, “Yes son,” doesn’t mean that she’s listening! Pretty smart of him! It’s made me very aware of how I relate to all of my children, and to other important relationships in my life. I’m trying to be more deliberate about stopping what I’m doing, making eye contact, and giving my full attention to people when they are talking to me. The Lord is gracious and compassionate to us and generous in the way that He relates to us. We can always be confident that He hears us and knows our heart when we speak to Him.
Take a moment to reflect on the areas where you need to practice being All There. Have your kids started calling you by a multi-syllabic name in order to get your attention? Are your friends sharing less with you, because they know that you’re not listening? Ask the Lord to bring clarity around what is happening inside of your heart. Why is your attention divided? What can He do about it? Ask Him to give you specific ideas to help you to engage in an honoring way with those that you love.
Merry Christmas!
