Mama, Remember We Don’t See It All

I enjoy scrolling through Instagram. I follow all sorts of people, really. I’m not even sure quite why, but seeing how others live has always intrigued me.

I see celebrities living it up at their next event, wearing dresses that probably cost more than we make in a year, and who just seem to have it all together.

But not everyone is like that, of course. And really, like I’ve said before, no one has it all together. Even celebrities. Kudos to those who share about the messy and the ugly! Because surely, we can all relate.

One thing we have to keep in mind though, is that when the picture is taken in front a mirror for Instagram or Snapchat (or any social media outlet for that matter), who knows how long that person worked and reworked their hair so that it would look just right for the pic? We don’t know how long they spent in front of the mirror, fixing up their makeup. We don’t know how long they picked up their house, before posting that pic.

My favorite is when someone is walking down the sidewalk and they stop, fix their hair, change their facial expression, hold their phone out, and snap a picture. Then they look down, type away, send it to who knows who, and go about their day. Oh the joys of social media! But that just proves…it takes work to look good sometimes!

But behind any picture and even more so, any person in that picture, is a life. A real life. A life that has hurts. A life that has disappointments. A life that has bad days. A life that has loss. A life that has had little sleep some nights. A life that again, truly does not have it all together. And my friends, that is what we need to remember.

I once heard it said that when you see something on social media, only 10% of that person’s life is portrayed. The other 90% is not shown. It’s unseen, silent, and up for our interpretation. And that’s the key – how we interpret it.

With what lens do you look at other’s picture with? A lens of “their life is perfect and mine is not?” Think about that. The next time you pick up your phone, tablet, or computer, to check to see what’s new, think about what mindframe with which you are viewing each of those pictures. You’d probably be shocked at the negatively and comparison you often find yourself doing.

Dear Mama, the next time you think wow, I wish my life looked like that, remember that we don’t see it all. Our life is NOT defined by how we portray ourselves to be on social media. God created us as beautiful women who crave genuine and authentic, face-to-face relationships. Don’t be afraid to be YOU. Don’t hide behind your social media account. Be real. Be someone who is vulnerable to be herself.