Identity in What?

This week I came across a blog post shared by a friend on Facebook. Read if you'd like, but I'll give you the gist of it. It's by a 25-year-old mom that, like me, grew up as social media grew up. We were the target group for MySpace and Xanga and then Facebook came out just as we were headed to college. The parents that have pre-teens and teenagers may not know social media as well or even care to use it. Their kids, however, are a part of it and haven't known life without it. The woman writing the post had to come up with a lesson/talk to some middle school girls at her church about finding your identity in Christ. Through this, she realized that young girls and boys alike are now finding out their popularity and cool factor through social media. Even media as simple as Instagram. How many followers they have and/or how many likes they got on a photo is determining to them their self worth and value. I think it was a great wake up call to many parents who may not realize that a little app of sharing photos could be so influential in their kids' lives.

What I did not think about when deciding to read the post, was how convicted I would be, at 24 years old, that I am allowing social media to determine my self worth and value. 

Sometimes I post pictures of our daughter Evelyn, hoping to get more likes than that other mom's pic of her kid. I make statuses about something she did or our family did and hope that it gets comments and feedback.  I compare myself, my home, my life to others and how they portray it through social media. I get frustrated when people don't like my articles I share about Christ and His glory or abortion and its wickedness. If someone were to skim my Facebook profile, they may think I find my identity in being a mom over being a Christian because that is what you see more. I'd rather see a high number of "thumbs up" than to spread news about Christ, not realizing how many might read it, but not "like" it.  I sat reading Proverbs 31 and Ecclesiastics 2 this morning. I was reflecting on what characteristics a woman of God has and was reminded not to be chasing after the wind. I can't be chasing after media popularity. Or any popularity for that matter. The only identity that matters, is my identity in Christ. "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness." Nothing less. I have no hope in my statuses, my instragram photos, my blog comments, etc. No hope. I must "wholly lean on Jesus' name." I pray that I would daily seek to know God better by knowing his Son better. I will be able to stand face to face with God because of a mediator I have in Christ and that has nothing to do with who I am or what I have done. Apart from Christ, I have nothing. Apart from Christ, I am nothing. I need to rest in Him. My identity should proclaim Christ's goodness and grace. My identity should not involve an equation that involves being "liked."

So as I have recently come back to blogging, I want to make sure that I am doing it for the right reasons. I wanted a place to rattle some thoughts, to journal some public memories and allow friends to be more "caught up" with our lives as we are farther away. I don't expect to become some famous blog that women are following all over the world. I highly doubt that. I do love to share life though and this is a way I'd like to do that.

Glorifying Him by resting in Him and making Him known.