That Pesky Green-eyed Monster

Technology is great and has led to many advances in our society. The improved safety of cars, the invention of life-saving equipment, and the ease of access to information are all incredible blessings. We have privileges and opportunities today that the generations before us didn’t have. Social media is another byproduct of the digital age; on a daily basis billions of people use different social sites to digitally grow and communicate with their friend group or network. These platforms are great, but they can quickly take over more of our lives than is healthy if we’re not careful.

When you reach a certain age your Facebook feed becomes full of engagements, marriages, and pictures of people’s children. While I am overwhelmingly happy for my friends who are in those life stages, it can quickly come to feel as though you are defective if you don’t have those things in your life. When the vast majority of the people you graduated with are now thriving in their career and family, you can come to feel as though you’ve done something wrong when you don’t fit into those categories.

The interesting thing is that I don’t want the life those people have. Marriage isn’t a priority in my life and I definitely don’t want children. If I were married with kids right now I wouldn’t have the freedom to do all I am doing. I’m glad I don’t have a traditional 9-5 job and the skills I’ve learned over the years can be used in a wide variety of jobs, not just one. While I love my life, it doesn’t look as exciting online.

I can easily forget that I like my different path when I spend too much of my time on social media.

If you know that social media can stir up feelings of jealousy, inadequacy, doubt, shame, or regret, I encourage you to exercise caution when using it. If you have to, set up rules for your use of these sites; I’ve had to do this for myself. I only get on Facebook 1-2 times a week because I don’t like who I become when I’m constantly checking it. I have rules for using Instagram and only follow certain people who will inspire and those who take pictures that light that creative fire inside of me. I use Twitter to follow businesspeople and writers and good humans that I want to emulate; their quotes inspire me to do better. While social media can be a problem for me, I do my best to use it for my good and the good of others.

Hi, my name is Sarah and I struggle with jealousy and comparison. But, through my reliance on the Holy Spirit I can overcome because I am confident in who God made me. 

What about you?