Leading a Leaking Life

Fun fact about me: I have a really big temptation to seek validation from social media. So much so that I've frequently had to ask my friends to change my Facebook password so that I won't have access to it (especially during the school semester). Having a lot of likes on a status feels so good, doesn't it? Having lots of people comment on your profile picture about how beautiful you are feels so nice, doesn't it? Being able to stalk - er, I mean, "keep up with" all of your friends' fantastic lives is super fun, isn't it? 

I'm not going to lie. It does feel good, and it is fun. 

Brown paper packages tied up with string. . .

After a few years of having deleted my Instagram account, I created one again. I examined my heart to see the motivation behind wanting an Instagram, and found that I was ready to have one again. I posted the above picture yesterday evening.

It's beautiful, isn't it? There's just something about beautiful gifts, red accents, and Christmas lights that gets me grinning. 

That's probably the story that this picture tells: Elsa's perfect Christmas. 

Well, here's the real story. 

A little while after posting that picture I headed to bed. I hadn't been in bed for five minutes when I heard distressed voices calling from the other side of the house. I slipped my glasses on and ran down the hallway to see an astonishing sight! 

OUR LIVING ROOM WAS A GIANT PUDDLE OF WATER. 

And guess where our Christmas tree is? In our living room. In the puddle of water.  

Before you could say "Snickerdoodle", my parents and my two sisters and I were grabbing towels and attempting to mop up the leak. Anna and I frantically pulled the presents out from under the tree and put them on a dry surface. Had I posted a picture then, I probably would not have gotten very many likes on Instagram. Our living room was a total mess!

None of the presents were permanently damaged, and the water leak is being fixed as I type. Low-key, I actually had the time of my life because it gave me and my family an excuse to work together. 

What happened yesterday is a perfect example of the facetiousness of social media. It doesn't reflect reality. I don't think that social media is immoral, or that having a Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram is wrong. But I do think that we ought to re-examine our motivation behind what we post.

Why are you using social media?

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”

~ 1 Samuel 16:7

Social media provides us with a ridiculous amount of blessings. It allows us to communicate with friends who we don't get to see every day. It allows us to stay updated on what's happening in the world. It allows us to share what the Lord is doing in our lives. 

But it also gives us an easy idol to worship: ourselves. God searches our hearts and knows when we are putting ourselves before Him. It is not a secret to Him. And honestly, it's not a secret to us, either. I know when I seek approval from others over Facebook. I know when I care way too much about how I appear on Instagram. 

If we were to be honest with ourselves and others, our lives are all leaking. After we snap that picture or take that video, our struggles continue to inhabit us. After we have that long text conversation, our hearts still ache to have real friendship which does not disappoint or forsake us. 

This Christmas will have leaks. It will have holes too big to fill. But, darling, that's alright. 

I ask this of you. Don't lie to yourself. Don't lie to others. Stop pretending your life looks a certain way when it doesn't. Instagram is super cool, and it can certainly be used for good purposes. Seeking validation, affirmation, and approval from others is not a good use of social media. It will feel good only for a fleeting moment. It will disappoint you. 

We are all leading leaking lives. The majority of our days are not spent smiling glamorously, drinking perfect cappuccinos, and having picture-perfect friends. It's scary to really show people who you are (believe me, I know), but I challenge you to stop seeking validation from social media. Examine your heart, dear one, and ask yourself: why am I using social media? 

The human life is a leaking life. The good news of Jesus Christ being born of a virgin, dying on a cross for our sins, and rising from the grave is good news because it saves us from the impossible task of being perfect. He is our perfect sacrifice, friend, and High Priest. 

We do not have to be ashamed of leading a leaking life, because He loves us all the same.