Daily Delight
Do you ever find yourself looking to see if the grass is greener on the other side? If I let myself sit on my phone for too long, scrolling one mile down my screen after the other, I get wrapped up in looking at everyone else's beautiful life.
I am a local photographer in a small area. I used to struggle with constantly looking at multiple photography pages from the local photographers in our area, trying to see how I could measure up. I would get upset to see someone I knew or had previously done photos for be tagged in a photo from getting their photos done elsewhere. I would take, and still often do, everything to heart and wonder, "What did I do wrong? Am I not good enough anymore? How can I get to be as good as them?" It was a constant battle.
Thus came my decision to remove Facebook from my life. And I can honestly say that, after almost two years, I am still feeling much more free. I do still use Instagram, however. And at times, I find it quite hard not to compare.
"That couple looks like they are so in love and have it all together. She has time to do her make-up and hair and look fabulous every morning. That mom is rocking it. Her children are always dressed up so perfectly and she seems like she has no stress whatsoever toting them from one activity to the other. She is even involved in helping and volunteering with everything that is going on in the community! She must be super woman. This other woman is constantly at the gym and has a rock hard body.
Let me let you in on a little secret, friends. They do not have it all together.
That couple struggles with things they'd never let the world know about. That mom is wearing make-up and looking amazing to cover up the fact that inside she's falling apart at the seams. She's using caffeine to make it through all of the activities because she feels like a failure if she isn't involved in everything that's asked of her and she has never learned the word "no". That woman with the rock hard body that spends all of her time in the gym is just trying to gain self-confidence because she has been so beaten down emotionally that she thinks it's the one thing she can actually control in her life.
Social media is the best side of everyone. No one wants to post their wife and mom fails; no one wants to post their face without make ; no one will post when they've eaten an entire bag of chips and sat on the couch all day. They only post the things that make the world think they have got it all together.
Stop yourself from comparison. Stop beating yourself down. God gives us hope and His "mercies are new every morning!" (Lamentations 3:23)
If you feel like you've failed at life for the day, remember that tomorrow is a new day.
Emily BuckallewEmily lives with her heart on her sleeve and finds the greatest joy in giving to others. She finds the most inspiration looking through the camera lens and seeing the beauty God has created. She hopes that others will find encouragement through the words the Lord leads her to write.