Bests

Sometimes I sit and ponder what my ideal life would look like, who it would look like, what I would and wouldn't do, what my home would look like, and the cute outfits I would wear. And so many times, the first thing that comes into my mind to get ideas from is facebook. I think of all the wonderful things that mom does, or the fun dates that couple always goes on, or the great cooking so-and-so accomplishes, or the beautiful home this family has put together, or the latest fashion statement outfit that a friend just posted a selfie of, or, or, or...... the list goes on and on and it can become so discouraging. Comparing myself to all the 'bests' that everyone else does.

I was recently talking on the phone with a friend who lives over a thousand miles away from me and we were talking about motherhood. We talked about the sweatpants we were wearing and the messy hair that got thrown up into a ponytail that day because there just wasn't time to spend half an hour curling it for the day because the kiddos were already up and needing breakfast. We talked about the dishes that were still sitting in the sink and the husband that didn't get encouraged that day like we had hoped to. We talked about being tired and how it is so easy to get discouraged by all the things that didn't get done that day, all the things we couldn't be that day. We talked about how we've both threatened to just quit facebook because we spend too much time looking at what everyone else is doing in the world.

And then we both realized that facebook, pinterest, etc. are just everyone's 'bests.' 

And that's just it, that's what facebook is, that's what pinterest is, what so much of our media is. We put our "bests" out there for everyone else to see. We often use it as a way to get praise for all the cool things we do, the awesome clothes we wear, the weird things we eat, the 'perfect' marriage that we have.....but is it reality? Is it an accurate picture of our lives, or just the top picks of the week?

You don't really see the full picture of the lives of those on facebook. You just see their 'bests.' It can be so easy to see those bests and compare our current state of sweatpants and messy ponytail to the recently posted selfie of the gal in her new yoga pants and seemingly perfect make-up who just got done running her morning 10k.

I am the first to admit too, though, that I often post my 'bests' on facebook because quite honestly, I would rather not reveal the picture of the dirty kitchen floor or the loads of laundry that haven't gotten folded yet.

All I'm saying is that

it isn't fair to compare ourselves to the small snippets 

of life that we see other people posting about

when we don't see the full picture.

Life's not supposed to be about comparison, it's about being a light, it's about Jesus. It's not about the clothes we wear or the cool things we do, it's about the righteousness we are clothed with because of the awesomeness done for us by Jesus on the cross. It's not about how perfect we try to make our lives look, it's about the truly perfect life that Christ lived for us because we couldn't.

Disclaimer: Just as a disclaimer, I am not trying to bash anyone with this post. I appreciate those of you who post real life stuff, who aren't just looking to get likes and comments on their post or picture. I am glad you are out there keeping it real. Please know that I am thankful for facebook and pinterest, etc. and the wonderful ways that we can stay connected with the ones we love and still share life though we may be hundreds or thousands of miles apart.