Facebook, Pinterest, and the Comparison Trap

Maybe you have thought it in the moments when you're browsing through Pinterest just because you are looking for a new recipe to try out. And as you browse, you see all the "How To's" - from how to decorate the tops of your cabinets to how to have the tightest, firmest body after your second pregnancy. And you feel it. 

I'm not enough....

Maybe you have thought it while skimming Instagram and you see the pictures of that woman who just had her third child two months ago and she looks better than she ever did before! It's got to be the filter, right? Nevertheless, you feel it.

I'm not doing a good enough job...

Maybe you have said it out loud when you are scrolling through the news feed on Facebook, minding your own business, simply wanting to stay updated on your family and friends. And you read about one of your friends who's two year is reading already....and you just wrestled your three year old into a new set of underwear because he forgot he wasn't wearing a pull-up. Again. And here it comes....

I am a complete failure...

You've likely said it. Thought it. Bemoaned your failures while eating the chocolate you have hid in the laundry room. (I have!)

Last week we finally sat down and watched "Mom's Night Out" -- totally recommend, by the way! -- I laughed a lot. I nodded in agreement. And I cried, fully feeling and understanding the things this sweet mom felt.

Those of you who have seen this movie, did this portion of the movie get to you too?




Oh, I found myself in a blubbering mess after that. And I have one of those ugly cries. You know what I'm talking about....

But I felt that truth wrap its arms around me. And it felt so good.

Sometimes, because of social media and even because of certain people, we build up expectations of ourselves that are nigh impossible to attain. And we work so hard (so ridiculously, incredibly HARD!) to measure up those expectations. We run ourselves into the ground trying to please everyone, ourselves most of all, and forget that we are not called to see that our children are academically advanced at age three or that our homes look like a page out of Pottery Barn magazine. We are not called to do all we can to achieve a body that bears no marks of childbearing or to serve gourmet dinners to our husbands every single night. We are not expected to be a Pinterest wife or mom, nor should we compare ourselves with a status from someone on Facebook. Our worth and security is not found there, but only in the Person of Jesus Christ. Simply serving Him and doing the best we can with the gifts and strengths that He has given us is enough.

Where does your security lie? Is God your refuge, your hiding place, you stronghold, your shepherd, your counselor, your friend, your redeemer, your Saviour, your guide?
If He is, you don’t need to search any further for security.     
Elisabeth Elliot

So to all of you out there who find yourself logging off feeling less than victorious about your role as a wife or a momma, let that encourage you today.