Flooding my feed

“Do you think I’m lame?” I asked.

“What?” “No, I think you’re awesome!” My very biased husband replied.

Sometimes I know my random questions and off the wall thinking must drive him a little crazy. But he plays along, always satisfying my need to think and process out loud.

I’ve been praying about heading back into the social media world. Particularly the two I left in the dust six months ago. But while there are several reasons I could easily dive back in, I left them because I felt like the Lord was asking me to. So I want to be very sensitive to His voice now. So, I’ve tested the waters a little lately. I’ve logged on a few times, given a short scroll, and logged off. But while on one of my short scrolls a few nights ago, I discovered I could be the very definition of lame.

Maybe you aren’t aware or haven’t noticed, but social media is one of the best places to become trapped in comparison to other people. True story. If you don’t believe me, log on for five minutes and give it a scroll. Take notice of how many times you compare yourself to her eyes, his faith, her family life, their finances, or the amount of followers they have. The ways to compare are endless and that’s terrifying. And it’s this comparison trap I entered that causes me to question if I’m indeed lame.

While I was scrolling through my feed, I saw perfection through filters; I saw no tears, only smiles. I saw only hype and excitement. And in one short scroll I had deemed myself; lame, overwhelmed by the sight of things that I sometimes struggle to be and do.

Outside my social media looks interesting. I’m married to the greatest guy, momma of three pretty cool kids, I love to travel, kayak, and eat tacos. I’m an author and speaker. I appear anything but lame. But on the inside, my family life, while great, still has struggles like any other. I love to travel, but mostly for the beauty of it all. You will not find me rock climbing, cliff jumping, or anything else that sounds scary awesome. I’ll be sitting in a safe place, soaking up every ounce of beauty God created. I am definitely a taco-holic, but meat and cheese only, please! And when kayaking, I prefer calm water with a slight current so I don’t have to paddle too often. Oh, and the author and speaker part. Well, that’s a total God thing. I’m just an ordinary girl that He chose to spread the good news about who He is (and news flash, He chose you too). It doesn’t make me more important than you or anyone else, it only makes Him more known.

So yeah, I was feeling a little lame compared to most of the lovely faces flooding my feed, but then I realized something. I realized that I’m okay with lame. Truth is, I know I’m not lame, I’m unique, I’m perfectly me. Created by a creative God, knit together just the way He wants me. And if you think His work is lame, well that’s between the two of you. I am choosing to embrace what makes me unique and you should too!

God did not make a mistake when He created you. He did not drop the brush or have the shakes. He chose you before the foundations of the world, and He has a beautiful plan for your life, a beautiful way for you to make His glorious name known. Stop spending such precious and fleeting time comparing yourself and start embracing who and whose you are.

Side note: I feel the need to mention. Embracing you doesn’t mean the you that you want to be. It’s embracing who HE created you to be. We were created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27). If you want to be the best you and truly embrace who you are, then embrace Christ and who He is. Learn His character. That is how you really learn who you are created to be.

“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good indeed.” — Genesis 1:31 CSB

Cassie Downs, formerly of the Ellsinore area, is a speaker and the author of Chasing Jesus. Connect with her online at cassiedowns.com. Her book is available online where most books are sold.