Me, tonight, tired after a long day.
This girl is a Christian, married at the age when most kids would've been starting their freshman year in college, and lives with her barely-20-year-old husband in a suburb of Raleigh as he's in college at the local seminary.
Now, I'm 10 years her senior and have been a Christian longer than she's been alive...but to me, in my time of doubt and floundering, all those selfies are hurting her witness.
I mean, seriously, every single day? She literally can't do anything - do her nannying job, go to Bible study, go out to dinner, go shopping, etc etc ad nauseum, without posting a selfie about it. Oftentimes with the hashtag #blessed, of course.
Why does this bother me so much?
Logically, I know she's a child and doesn't know any better. But every time I see another selfie it digs into my subconscious like a little prickly thorn.
Now, I'm not that old: I grew up with the internet, but there were still some things that were sacred. We didn't know where everyone was every moment of the day. We didn't broadcast every adventure or misadventure or shenanigan on Facebook. And ten years ago, on my college campus or in my group of friends, the idea of constantly posting pictures of oneself on the internet would have seemed, well...like a pathetic waste of time.
I think my distaste stems from the fact that it's insidiously narcissistic. If a girl does her makeup well but doesn't post a selfie about it, I mean, does it even count?
And, dare I ask - where's God in all this?
Here's what I think: #blessed is, more often than not, #boasting. Why does everyone need to know you're getting a manicure or going to the beach or going on a date?
Shouldn't we be constantly trying to take the focus off ourselves and put the focus on God?
I certainly think so. And it's something I need to work on, too. I mean, right after this post, of course. My hair looked pretty good tonight - #blessed!
I find myself agreeing with you. 'Blessed' seems to be overused and misunderstood. I feel it is used as a justification by some, that if you do not have certain 'things' you are not 'blessed', and God only blesses 'good people'. So it's your fault if you don't have a job/home/nice car/spouse/etc. As in, Maybe if you were a better Christian you would find a job, Maybe if you prayed more God would 'bless' you with a spouse, Maybe if you read your Bible more your illness would clear up.
ReplyDeleteThe whole "blessed" #blessed thing has become a terrible way to be boastful and prideful.
PS - the occasional selfie is ok. Your hair does look good :)
You need to watch Bling Ring if you have such strong feelings about selfies! :-)
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