To the girl scrolling through Instagram taking a mental note of the outfits she doesn’t have, to the girl sitting in her bed trying to decide what picture to post & feeling worse the longer you stare at it, to the girl who is trying not to let it hurt too bad that your “friends” are hanging out without you & posting it on Snapchat, to the girl who is stressed about not having enough things to post and discouraged at the number of likes on your recent. This one's for you. 

My highschool years and early college life were dependent on one thing: appearing to have it all together on Instagram. I mean I wanted people to think that I had 80 best friends, that my teeth just happened to be that white (like I hadn’t just spent 30 minutes Facetuning the pic), and that I was the girl that everyone wanted to be. I would get stressed about family beach trips because I wanted everyone to know that I was there but the thought of my brother taking individuals...uhhh no thanks! Honestly, he did a pretty good job but that’s besides the point ;)  

My freshman year I seriously struggled with comparing my college experience to those I was seeing on social media. It felt like everyone was finding their people in the first 2 weeks & that I was the only one not having as much fun as everyone else. There were many tear-filled phone calls made in the lonely hours of the day/night as I wondered if I was doing this whole college thing wrong. I remember wondering if I should post certain things and create these fabrications of moments so I could appear that I was always busy and making billions of friends. As some of you read this, you may think this girl is weird but I’m praying (& thinking) that someone is relating to these statements. 

You will never feel satisfied by social media. You will never get enough likes, enough comments, have enough followers, have the right outfit, or post with the right people. This sounds harsh I know, but stay with me!

The problem with social media is that it’s simply a highlight reel designed to project a false image of ourselves for our own social gain. What this also means is that you will never “catch up.” It’s a vicious cycle that leaves you empty, discouraged, & maybe a little crazy. 

But Jesus. 

Jesus calls to us from heaven graciously extending an invitation to grab His hand & live a life that isn’t defined by social media and gives us a love that is not dependent on how well we’re performing. This means that we don’t have to live up to earthly standards & we can learn to shift our thinking from acceptance on social media to finding security in the arms of the One who loves us most, despite our flaws. 

This love doesn’t keep a tally of Instagram likes or how many times you did something right, it invades our everyday lives and challenges our perception of how we love others. Social media doesn’t have to define you when you are already defined as enough by the Creator. 

Please don’t think that I all the sudden woke up one morning & decided social media was no longer an issue in my life. It still threatens to consume my life & every day it’s a choice (& a whole lot of prayer) to live my life in step with Jesus than behind a screen. And to be honest, I fail, a lot. 

But Jesus. 

I don’t have to have it all together 24/7 & I don’t have to project an image of myself that is perfect because if I was perfect I wouldn’t need Jesus & that right there is the whole point of the Gospel! 

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” 

2 Corinthians 12:9

My prayer is that we’re all a little more weak. 

With love, 

Emily Grace McWhorter Fall ‘19