Reader, there's something I have to confess. I have been holding out on you. I've been thinking about writing about this topic for a few months, but I haven't done it for fear of offending people. I don't want to point fingers or lay blame on anyone, and I certainly don't want to condemn. That's not my place.
Yet, it is my place (and the place of any believer in Christ) to speak truth, in love, when it needs to be spoken. We have a responsibility to exhort one another toward lives that fully glorify God and only God.
All that to say, I'm terrified to write this blog. What I have to say isn't easy or comfortable, but I promise that my intent isn't to shame or condemn, but only to love and point others to Jesus. So, here I go.
Let's talk about "selfies." For any reason whatsoever, people take pictures of themselves and post them on Instagram or Facebook, in hopes of getting as many likes as possible. No matter what the situation is, take a picture of yourself, slap a caption on it, and publish it for all your friends to see and appreciate. Make sure you've got the right pose, the right facial expression, the right angle; take time to think about what caption fits best. Take a few pictures and pick the best one. Feel good about yourself when you get a lot of "likes." Be disappointed if you only get a few. Repeat the process tomorrow or the next day.
Does this sound familiar? Does anyone else see something wrong with this?
I understand taking and posting a picture of yourself in some situations: it's your birthday, or you got a haircut or a new hat, or you're dressed up for something, or something is going on that you just have to share with the world. That makes sense to me.
But day after day? What's the point? Why do we do that? Do we think that people have forgotten what we look like? Of course not. I think the reasoning is more that we are afraid people will forget about us. When we take those pictures and post them so frequently, what we're really doing is saying, "Look at me!" We crave love; we crave acceptance and attention. And we take pictures of ourselves just so that people will like it and say, "OMG, your soooo beautiful!!!*" (*grammar errors intended) or something along those lines. We're seeking affirmation.
So we take pictures of our faces day after day and post them for our friends to see. Our Instagram feeds are all silently screaming, "Look at me, look at me, look at me!" Does anyone else see how self-centered and narcissistic that is? Can you imagine people in the 1800s carrying around pictures of themselves and pulling them out to show their friends every time they met? That would have been ridiculous. Not to say that people in the 1800s were any less selfish and broken than we are today, but we have technology that allows us to act out and display our selfishness. We live for likes, and if people don't like our pictures, we feel a little crushed, though most of us would never say that out loud.
Now, I don't know when it became an acceptable social practice to take pictures of ourselves and post them so frequently. I don't know when "selfies" became a thing or when it became normal, but I can't say that it surprises me.
What surprises and disappoints me is that believers accept it and take part in it just as much as unbelievers do. What makes it worse is when we try to make pictures of ourselves spiritual by writing a caption with a verse or something, as if we are doing anything other than calling attention to ourselves. Yes, rejoice in who God has made you. Yes, exult in His redemption of you, who were once dead and enslaved and utterly broken. But if you are taking and posting pictures of yourself day after day, are you really seeking to call attention to God's glory and goodness? Really?
For that is what we should be calling attention to. Always.
Just think about Him. He is the God who created the entire universe with the power of His words. He is the God who breathed life into man, who redeemed us with the blood of His Son, who calls us out of darkness and into light, who fills each day with purpose, who paints sunrises and created giggles, who loves each of His children fiercely and calls us by name and pursues us with His grace and kindness.
This is our God. This is the one we praise. He is the one who gives us identity and purpose and joy. He tells us that we are beautiful and valuable. There is not greater security than that which we have in Him.
Why are we living for likes and comments? Why do we feel the need to find affirmation in anything beside our great and gracious God? Why do we chase after what we know will not satisfy?
For me, I know that it is because I am often looking at myself instead of Him. Whatever it is that we are looking at, we will inadvertently lead others to do the same. If I'm focused on myself, I will want others to focus on me too. So the real question here isn't "Why do we take selfies?" The question is "What are our lives proclaiming?" Is my life proclaiming my self? Or is my life proclaiming Christ and the glory of God?
"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on
things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set
your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died,
and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who
is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory."
(Colossians 3:1-4)
