Self-Growth

February 24, 2022

As I was scrolling through Facebook the other day, minding my own business, I happened to notice a picture of myself taken at church during worship. Let me be honest- the picture was phenomenal. I looked great. And may I say my hair looked amazing, too. I was immensely excited. So what was a girl to do? Well post it of course.I wanted to post that joker on every page I owned. But something stopped me. My conscience? It’s probable. But I would bank my last dollar that it was the Holy Spirit rising up within me. The reality of the situation was that I was being nudged, no, attacked with the unbreaking thought that I was trying to post a lie of a picture in an effort to excite the masses. I wanted to be seen without the transparency of what was really happening. I wanted to look cute and fresh! I mean who doesn’t? But it was all a lie. 

Lie number one- My hair had been a source of frustration for me for weeks. As they say: my kitchen was showing. I had not had time to go get it done and (if no one else was) I was definitely noticing. The morning of that picture I spent what seemed like ages flipping it and poking at it trying to make it come into alignment with my will for it. Nothing seemed to work. So I threw it into a ponytail, took a look at myself, and forced myself not to grimace. I wanted to post that picture for everyone to know that, due to a super professional lens, my hair appeared flawless in that ponytail.

Lie number two- I had done the most stereotypical thing ever: I had just finished yelling at my children in the car on the way to church. What was I really trying to prove with this picture? That I was a super Christian- Holy and sanctified? The lie is not that I am not a Christian and I have actually been made Holy by Christ, the lie was that I am perfect while doing it. The reality is that I am being sanctified each and every day, growing more in His image with each breath. That means that I do find myself, unfortunately, snapping at my kids on the way to church. Yeah we blast that Christian radio in the parking lot but sometimes it is to drown out the whining from the back seat.  

Lie number three- In the picture my hands are lifted high worshiping the Almighty Father. But…was I worshiping? So often I get so distracted and bogged down with the details of life, especially my busy life. Who needs to be taken where? What needs to still be done? Who’s hair still needs to be combed? Did I pay that bill on time? Does any of that sound like you friend? The music was going, the spirit of God was moving, but where was I? Was I at His feet in prayer? Were my lips singing about how incredibly good He has been to me? Or was I far away somewhere trying to plan and control my life? 

Please listen to my heart. I do not want you to ever feel down about wanting to post a cute picture (because trust and believe I will post a cute pic in a second). No, what I want for you (and me) is to recognize our truth. I want us to stop living in a world we believe the culture wants us to pretend to live in. Are you not feeling your hair today? That’s okay, get to church anyways. Did you fuss at a child? That’s alright, kiss away the tears and walk into that sanctuary. No make-up? Who cares. Worship. Gently push away what happened last week or that late bill you don’t know how to pay. Live in the now with Christ. And most importantly, please do not ever get dragged down by the lie of someone else’s “perfect” picture. Trust me: they have issues, too. 

Peace, love, and strength

Victoria Wilson