snippets

(snippet)

Lately, I have been pondering some of the pros and cons of social media.

One of the biggest pros is that, whether we live near or far from those we love, life is busier than ever, it is so easy to peek into our loved ones lives through social media and feel very connected to them. I am thankful for the glimpse I get into my family’s everyday lives as we don’t live as close as I would like. I love being able to look into my nieces and nephews every day lives, and see how they are growing and changing. I love being able to see what is happening in the ministry my brother and his wife are evolved with half a world away. I love seeing what my brother is cooking up for dinner, and seeing the wonderful everyday life of my daughter. I get to peek into my husbands families lives and feel like I get to know them a little better by seeing little snippets of their everyday lives.

One of the biggest cons is that we get to peek into people’s lives that we don’t have a real close relationship with. We believe that this is how their life is, these snippets that are shared. We envy their nice home, perfect yard, and well dress family, all the while behind the little picture we are allowed to see, may be the storm of a wayward child or broken marriage. Sometimes we peek in this window and see  a “mess”, not knowing the work that God is doing, and God is very pleased with “this mess”.

We make judgements about people based on these snippets. We assume their life is perfect, we wish for that life, not knowing what we are really wishing for. Or we make a judgement about how messed up their life is, we secretly thank God we don’t have the problems they have, not knowing that they have a peace that passes all understanding.

These posts on social media are just glimpses of a person’s life, and usually just what they want the world to see. We have this unique privilege that no other generation has had, to peek into each others lives, but let’s be careful not to assume that the snippet we get to see is the whole picture, and use this privilege to hold each other up in prayer.

(the whole picture)