DAY TWENTY – THREE / #fortydayfloodoflove
LET’S BE HONEST.
You might have seen this photo before.
If you haven’t, I’ll admit It is one of my favorites from this year and it even holds a permanent place as my computer screen saver. It is a breathtakingly beautiful view no-doubt (taken at Machu Picchu), so it comes as no surprise that the World Race Facebook and Instagram pages shared it.
This photo got more than 2,600 “likes”, and it was shared more than 20 times from numerous social media accounts.
But the beautiful view isn’t what makes it my favorite.
I love this photo because it is the perfect example of just how skewed social media can be.
How skewed exactly was the photo?
Well, these were taken less than 30 minutes prior:
Yes, go ahead and laugh. That is indeed me, soaking wet and trying to use a plastic rain poncho for warmth as a stray dog attempts to steal my breakfast/lunch.
I didn’t do it intentionally – sharing JUST my “highlight”. I don’t think any of us do it on purpose.
But the gorgeous photo that thousands of people scrolled past and “liked” wasn’t an accurate depiction of my experience that day.
What actually happened was my friends and I spent way too much money to fly to Machu Picchu. I nearly didn’t make the flight because security tried to throw me in jail. And when we finally arrived we only got 4 hours of sleep before waking up to see the sunrise on site, but we had problems with our tickets trying to get in. So we didn’t make it in time. When we finally got it, it was cloudy, cold, and rainy. You couldn’t see five feet in front of yourself, nonetheless admire the historic site of Machhu Pichu. That is about the point when the above photos were taken.
Eventually the fog did lift, and we got to see more of Machu Picchu.
But most of those 2,600 people probably scrolled right past my photo in the middle of a normal day. And some of them might have even thought to themselves “wow, what I would do to go on a trip like that or see those kind of views”
I’m not a mind reader, so I can’t really say what other people thought when they saw my photo online. But I do know what I am guilty of falling victim to whilst on social media, the comparison trap. Most of the time when it happens it’s not even intentional…it’s a quiet subconscious thought.
Her clothes
That view
His job
Their trip
And I am preaching to the choir here because my Instagram makes me as guilty as the next person.
If you looked at my account you might start wishing that you had the chance, like me, to see 11 countries in 11 months. (I hope you get to!) It really has been an invaluable experience. But that’s the danger of social media.
I would say that our social media only portrays a billionth of the actual experience we have had.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to bash social media. Beautiful moments in life definitely do happen, and we should share them! But God asked me to do this Forty Day Flood of Love, and it has increased my awareness of the “comparison” trap. That is what reminded me to share the explanation behind my photo.
In addition to the reminder about comparison, God has been teaching me about contentment.
“Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.” 1 Timothy 6:6-8
So today while you casually scroll through Facebook or Instagram, I just want you to have the gentle reminder that social media seldomly shows the “full story”. And when you feel that comparison creeping in, the thief of all joy, just remember: true happiness is not having what you want. It is wanting what you have.
Other photos from our trip:
Determined not let the weather “rain” on our parade!
The view from our room – which we didn’t book until 2 am the morning we arrived. I think we payed $7 each?
An overarching view of Machu Picchu
The group minus Kalie, (who was taking the photo per usual) (:
