Life is not a facebook picture!

Let me just start this post by saying that life sucks sometimes! Sorry if the word sucks offends you, but there is just no better word to use without really offending some. I am sure you know where I am going with the title of this post.  We sit around all day (whether we are in class, at work, or at home) and look at people’s Facebook pictures which reflect the perfection of their lives.  We then compare our lives to their lives based off their Facebook pictures!  This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard but I have to admit that I myself am guilty of it.  Man, especially vacation pics or pics where people seem to be doing cooler things than I am doing!  But, “REAL LIFE” is not reflected in a Facebook picture!

This reminds me of my sister and I growing up.  Me and my sis have always loved taking pictures (we are actually pretty annoying about it but everyone thanks us later when we have pics of the special event).  When we were younger we would be fighting, yelling, crying, hitting each other and my mom would say, “smile for the picture,” and just like that, all tears were gone, yelling and fighting stopped, our arms were around each others necks, and we had a smile and pose going that you would not believe!  If we were to show someone that picture, they would think Shiloh and I were the best of friends all the time, but we actually wanted to kill each other 2 seconds before snapping that shot. 

I have heard it said often, “pictures don’t lie” or “a picture is worth a thousand words” but I would argue the opposite! Pictures do lie and they lie well!  Someone could be the most miserable person in the world and take great pictures that make them look like they have a fabulous life.  The first thing I think of when I think about this idea is models.  Models are forced to look a certain way and if they don’t they not only lose their job; many of them lose their identity.  They have to be unnaturally skinny which forces many of them into eating disorders and painful surgeries.  Further, they often become drug users to help them stay thin and “escape” a world where they are expected to be perfect.  I cannot imagine a sadder existence.

Perfection really is an enemy to humanity.  Have you every tried to do something perfectly, live perfectly, or look perfectly.  I have and it is emotionally exhausting and mentally damaging.  This is so because no matter how hard we try, we will never ever reach perfection.  Does this mean we stop trying to be perfect? Yes! This is exactly what this means! God knows we are not perfect and does not expect us to be perfect.  When Jesus says “Be perfect as God is perfect” in Matt. 5:48, He knows He is asking something of humanity that they are unable to do.  But why would He do this; you many wonder?  Throughout the New Testament Jesus sets the bar for moral living so high that no human could ever live up to it.  He does this because He knows that He is about to die a sinners death as a sinless man to pay for our short comings and weaknesses (aka, imperfections).  Jesus wants us to accept our imperfections and weaknesses and failures so that we will gladly accept His perfection and strength and success in saving those who give their lives to Him.

Bottom line is this; perfection is impossible.  Facebook pictures and Victoria Secret magazines DO NOT reflect real life! If you live your life trying to “keep up” with images of perfection, you will be emotionally and mentally tired and hurt.  Here is an idea, accept yourself the way you are because God accepts you the way you are.

Here is a hard one for us girls to swallow; stop worrying about your weight! Stop worrying about your looks.  Stop worrying about the one grey hair you found or the one pimple on your cheek.  Accept that God made you and everything He makes is beautiful!  Both men and women need to stop comparing themselves to others; especially images that do not reflect reality.

Living in reality is both hard and rewarding.  Living in a fantasy land is not real and it will always lead back to reality in someway which will hit a lot harder if you have refused to go there.  The reality of life is that some days are amazing while other days really suck; sometimes things are fair and other times they are not; sometimes things are hard but sometimes things are rewarding; sometimes we smile and sometimes we cry; sometimes we struggle in our relationships while other times we have a ball with our best friends, spouses, and families.  Whatever you do, don’t go on comparing you life to someone elses picture.  It is a guarantee that the person in the picture is struggling with life just as much as you are because life is tough at times for everyone!