Are You the Instagram You?

I think you would agree that social media has changed our lives and the way we show ourselves to the world through Instagram, Facebook, SnapChat and other social media platforms.  When I first started on social media, I had no idea what I was doing.  I posted everything and whatever mood I was in at the time.  I didn't put much thought into what I was posting before hitting send.  In those early days, I was going through some transitions in my life and was trying to find myself.  I certainly didn't need to detail any of it on social media.  

Many people, especially celebrities and “influencers,” use their social media profiles to project a perfect image with carefully chosen (and edited) photos and videos, many made with different filters or image-editing software. I know that there are many who portray themselves differently on social media than they are when you meet them in real life.  Why is it that we need to do that?  What are we afraid of by not being ourselves?

I can answer that question myself.  For most of my life I was obsessed with worrying about what people thought of me.  I wanted to live up to what I thought others wanted me to be.  I had a very weak self-esteem.  I wanted to be liked and I would go to whatever links I needed to go to achieve that.  I wasn't comfortable in my own skin.  I look back now and see pivotal times in my life where I made a decision based on what others would think rather than my own happiness.   

Of course, it is completely okay to think of others and try to please people but there is a boundary we must all draw where we won't go past it to sacrifice our own happiness with who we are.   In my early years people expected me to become a preacher because my grandfather and father were preachers.  I floundered around for many years trying to find my place in ministry.  I even tried preaching sermons, but it never flowed for me.  I could have faked it, but I would have never been happy about it.

Many people on social media fake it.  Shocking I know.  They use filters to make themselves look better or post content to make them look better to whoever clicks on their page.  I won't lie.  When I update my profile picture, I try to find the best one that I can find.  I have discovered that it gets more and more difficult to do that.  

What's wrong with being ourselves?  Who are we trying to impress?  

I once had a difficult person in my life who would always speak her mind and very critical of me and my motives.  I took that junk for years before I finally came to the conclusion that just because this evil person had her opinion of me didn't mean she was right.  What we think of us is more important than what others say they think about us.  I have learned that people - even church people - don't know me.  What people don't know about you, they will "fill-in-the-blank" with their assumptions.  

Today, I am happy with who I am.  It took a lot to get to this point, but I just want to be the best version of me that I can be. 

The Bible says that we shouldn't think of ourselves more highly than we should but to think of ourselves with good judgment in accordance with the measure of faith God has given us.  We don't need a dazzling profile that others can read or glamour photos to do that.  We just need to be good, kind-hearted people who are looking for reasons to be good to others.