Originally published Monday, 25 August 2014.
I’ve been thinking a lot about “selfies” lately. Apparently, everyone is thinking about “selfies” these days and they definitely have livened up my news feed!
From mommy friends, to high school students, to Bible Study groups, the selfie craze has taken over! Even my 5-year-old twins are infatuated with the idea of looking at themselves through the lens of a phone and capturing the moment, however weird they may look in that moment! Actually the weirder the better for them, so they continue to snap until all the free space is used up and there is absolutely no room left when I am ready to take my very own selfie!…
….Sorry I digress! That’s another post for another day! #momlife
But, lately I’ve mostly been thinking about my own selfies and how they never look like I want them to. No matter how hard I try, I am always disappointed at the result of my attempt to make myself look good. I always look like I am confused. And well, that’s because I am always confused.
Here’s what me taking a selfie sounds like, in my head of course:
Wait, is the camera flipped?
SNAP
Now where is the button that I need to push?
SNAP
Oh no, my face looks huge!
SNAP
I just look awkward— let me tilt my chin some—Is that what my nose really looks like?
SNAP
I need my lip gloss.
SNAP.
Urgh, these are the worst pictures ever!
Snap. I’ve missed the moment completely now and all I have left to post are these incredibly funny looking images of me with my eyes closed, lips pinched and eyebrows frowned! Perfect!
In my opinion, selfies are a lot work. Please tell me I am not alone in feeling this way!
I get that they can also be a lot fun for some, not for me, but for the select group of really cool people that have a knack for making themselves look phenomenal on camera with little help from a perfectly capable free-handed-stranger walking down the street—remember when it was completely acceptable to ask the nice lady walking by for help? But for the rest of us, a “selfie” or do it yourself image is never the best representation of who we really are or what we really look like.
And here’s why—Simply put, you and I were not designed or created to make ourselves look good.
We need help.
No matter how hard we work at it, we cannot capture or present our best self on our own, and that is because anything good in us needs to be brought out of us by the one who created us. He also sees the flaws that need to be fixed that we can’t see ourselves.
Many times we live like we are taking a selfie, in real life; working harder at it, positioning ourselves, trying it from different angles, trying to do one thing when we are supposed to be doing something else, not seeing the glaring issue that needs to be fixed. Attempt after attempt we still look confused and discombobulated. Ultimately we are left with an image that does not capture who we really are.
So friends, ask for help. Your creator knows you inside and out. He knows exactly what you need and His grace and help not only help you to look better, but to actually be better. He’s not too busy, He’s actually watching you try it on your own over and over again and He is waiting for you to realize that He can do it much better.
God created you in His image. Instead of trying to present a perfect you, accept His help and allow Him to fix the flaws that you can’t even see. He wants the world to see what a beautiful life looks like through His eyes.
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