Filters Off

 When I sit down at my laptop to write the blog, I can get easily distracted.  In the middle of typing a sentence, I’ll think “I need to check my e-mail.”  That small foray will lead me down so many different rabbit holes.  It’s pretty ridiculous.  Like today.  I went from checking my e-mail to scrolling on Instagram.

Instagram is all about capturing and sharing the perfect moment.  They give you so many different options for filtering.  With the right angles and filters, you can look like a million bucks.  You can have flawless skin, bigger lips, the best lashes.  The options are endless.

During today’s rabbit hole moment, I stumbled upon a new page on Instagram.  There, a lady uses her platform to showcase photos of herself that are deemed Instagram worthy versus her reality.  She is a thin woman who has struggled with an eating disorder.  She spent years trying to fit the images that she saw in the media.  She tried to conform to the norm.  Finally, she came to the realization that her true self is enough.

Now, I’m not really big on filters, but ya girl is big on angles.  I definitely have a side of my face that is more flattering if I have to take a picture from the side.  It works out beautifully when I take pictures with my bestie because her preferred side is the opposite of mine.  (We were meant to be…LOL)  I wouldn’t say that I’m trying to conform to the standards of the world, but I am acutely aware of my appearance.  I want to present myself in the best way possible.

But I have had to check myself.  What does it say about me when I critique pictures but can’t critique the way that I present myself to God?  What does it say when I live life in a way that’s not always concerned about presenting my very best self to God?  I’m not an advocate for perfectionism, but I know that I can do better.  Sometimes in my efforts to push relationship with God, I neglect the fact that He is very holy.  While I can be open and honest with Him, I also need to remember that He doesn’t play.  I need to give Him the best.

God created me so He knows who I am.  He is aware of all that He put in me.  The real me.  Not the image that I can filter for the world to see.  My true self.  One of the biggest struggles with this blog is letting you walk through my faith journey with me.  I miss the mark quite often.  So often that it’s enough to make me want to pull the plug.  But that’s not what God requires of me.  He wants my true self on display.  Uggggh…..

Hopefully, by now you have seen that my life is short on the perfect moments.  When the filters are removed, I am just as raggedy as the next guy or gal.  In this space, I’m giving you my angle of my walk with Christ.  Yours will be different, and that’s fine.  I hope that my transparency helps you get in touch with your true self.  Whatever that may look like.  #wepreach