Hi, everyone! I had a completely different post planned for today. However, as the day went on, I felt the need to share some thoughts with you all instead. Before you begin to read, I must warn you that my thoughts are kind of like Pinterest in that my mind is somewhat like a collage. I have so many ideas and words and I struggle to put them all into one cohesive paragraph. Therefore, the following might be quite scattered. But hey, I like it that way!
I follow dozens and dozens of people on social media. On Instagram, I follow people from close family and friends, to celebrities, to bloggers on the other side of the world. I love IG and what it has created for me. It has given me a peek into people's lives all over the world--whether it be what they ate for breakfast, or an outfit of the day, or a family photo, or even a proposal caught on camera by a friend. As I sit here in my little dorm room at college, I can be somewhere warm and sunny on a beach in Australia, or I can be at New York Fashion Week. I love being able to do this. However, today was a bit different. As I scrolled through endless beautiful photos, I felt so small. I started comparing my busy, homework-filled college life and a crappy day to all of these wonderful people who are at completely different stages in life. I was jealous!
I then remembered that I can't compare myself to anyone else out there. I constantly have to remind myself: you don't always see struggles on the outside and the best of the best photos are what appear on social media.
As women, I think it's really hard not to compare ourselves to others. I can't tell you how many times a day, not even consciously, that I look at other women and acknowledge that I'm not as pretty as her, that I'm not as skinny as her, I don't have as much money as her, I don't have a great job like her, my hair isn't smooth enough, my skin isn't clear enough, etc. The list goes on! We have to stop thinking like this. This is not only killing our self-esteem, but our spirits and joy as well.
I think that this comparing to others thing is in part to seeking approval from others. In Galatians, Paul says in verse ten of chapter one: "For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ."
Seeking approval is inherent to us. We want to be liked by others. We want someone to be proud of us. I struggle with this every day. My intentions become disarranged and I start seeking to gain a "good job" or an "I'm proud of you," or a pat on the back from people around me instead of the One who created me. Yes, it's okay to want this! However, we cannot become obsessed with how we compare to others. God created each one of us in His image. Each person out there in the world was designed specifically by God and for His glory only. We all have different talents and personalities that cannot be compared to each other.
Let us seek to please Him, and Him alone.
-Carrie
