PSA: INSTAGRAM IS NOT REAL LIFE.
But you knew that, didn’t you?
We present ourselves as physically attractive, sociable, happy, wealthy, trendy, popular… what’s not to love? We are constantly editing out or disciplining away our flaws. We pose under flattering lighting and choose to ignore all the imperfections. And this “social media mask” transfers over into our personal lives as well.
It is a universal truth that all of us, including myself, deal with shame and fear by putting it on the backburner. When hard times come, what do we do instead of face the noise? We cope. Maybe you drink a few glasses of wine and eat chocolate cake to numb your pain. Maybe you use moral superiority and legalism to rationalize your behavior. Maybe you watch hours of your favorite television show on Netflix to try to forget your circumstances.
Out of sight, out of mind… right?
wrong.
While all of these are great temporary solutions, they don’t address our real issues. We all begin blaming other people or circumstances for our problems and stop taking accountability for our actions. This kind of spiritual and emotional anesthesia may help us remain numb to our regrets, flaws, disappointments, and failures, but it also keeps us numb to the greatest gifts in life – joy, kindness, belonging, connection, and love.
This world that we live in is full of billions of people who are just longing to be loved. But in our desperate quest, we have forgotten what true love really requires: To be fully known.
If the only “you” that people see is your Instagram persona, you will never be fully loved. It’s superficial.
True relational connection requires vulnerability.
This sort of radical and adventurous lifestyle requires letting your guard down and opening yourself up to the possibility of getting hurt – and that absolutely is terrifying.
We need to confront of all the guilt and shame of our past. We need to allow ourselves to grieve, to be messy, to be weak. Weakness may not be the most flattering characteristic, but it is what makes us human and it is what makes us beautiful.
It takes courage to tell the whole story of who you are and to have others see your imperfections. It means letting go of who you think you should be in order to become who God designed you to be. Christ already sees your shame and your fear, and He knows the most disgusting parts of your heart and mind even better than you do. Redemption would not be possible for any of us without sacrifice, without complete vulnerability.
Because of Jesus, you are already fully known and fully loved by a perfect Father.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
– 2 Corinthians 5:10
