Christmas surfaces a lot of insecurities. Whether we are consciously aware of it or not. Particularly when it comes to social media.
“Oh wow … look at their Christmas tree. Their Christmas tree is so much better than mine.”
“Oh wow … look at that Christmas lights display they went to see. What cool photos! I haven’t been able to go see any Christmas lights displays this year.”
“Oh wow … look at their family. Their family looks so perfect. Their life is so much better than mine.”
“Oh wow … look at that wonderful Christmas meal they made. My Christmas meal was boxed mashed potatoes and store-bought pie. They are so much better than me.”
Last week some photos surfaced on social media. Photos of a Christmas event I recently attended. Photos with me in them.
And just like all of you out there reading this blog post, my response was the universal response we all have when seeing photos of ourselves posted on social media: Horror … horror of looking so lame, especially compared to everybody else!
I found myself desperately bothered and distraught over the photos!
While at the same time, pondering the curious contrast of the fact that I had just recently posted a photo of myself to this very blog … an absurd photo of myself in a moisturizing beauty face mask with my hair wrapped up in a towel! Yet that did not bother me in the least.
Why?? … why was I so desperately bothered and distraught over the photos of myself posted on social media?? … photos which no one really cares about anyway.
Was it because hundreds of people whom I don’t know would see the photos??
No … no, that wasn’t it. Hundreds of people whom I don’t know will probably see the absurd photo of me in a moisturizing beauty face mask with my hair wrapped up in a towel.
The realization which slowly settled in was this: It was because certain people from my past … certain judgmental, critical, comparing and condemning people were seeing those photos. And like an overwhelming flood, all that judgementalism, criticism, comparison, and condemnation was washing over me!
Still desperately bothered, I headed outside to walk my daily loops for exercise.
I hadn’t been walking 5 minutes when my Heavenly Father brought vividly to my mind the mental picture of a children’s choir singing up on a stage at church, for Christmas. I could clearly see them in my mind … adorable little children. They were all decked out in their Christmassy best!
They were fidgety and squirmy. They had been diligently rehearsing and practicing their Christmas song for weeks! Now was the time to perform their song … in church! … in front of everyone!
Can you too picture the adorable little children in your mind? Can you see the beaming little child, waving proudly to Dad & Mom out in the audience?
Can you (in your mind) hear them singing their song? They are off pitch. They are fidgety and squirmy. There are one or two who are singing (off pitch) louder than the rest. There is one on the end who is bouncing up and down!
And out in the audience … the parents are beaming!! Mom wipes a tear or two from her eyes … “That’s my baby!” Dad takes video … and photos!
As I was walking my loops for exercise … in that very moment, I could hear my Heavenly Father speak deep down to my soul and tell me: “You are that little girl standing up there in the Children’s Christmas Choir … and I, Your Heavenly Father, am so delighted in you!!”
In that moment … walking loops for exercise in the forest … my loving Heavenly Father showed me very vividly that He was so proud of me! … just like all those parents of the little kids in the choir.
That Christmas event which I had recently attended, where photos had been taken of me (and afterwards posted to social media) … my Heavenly Father was so proud of me! It didn’t matter what everyone else looked like in the photos. Just like it doesn’t matter what all the other children in the choir are doing. My Heavenly Father had his gaze on me … and my Heavenly Father was beaming, as I did what He had called me to do!
I was the little girl, in a bright Christmassy-green dress, up there in the Christmas choir … doing what my Heavenly Father had called me to do. And nothing else mattered. I was “singing my heart out” … and my Heavenly Father was sitting there in the audience beaming! My Heavenly Father was delighted with me!
I do not know what your insecurities might be this Christmas. We all have our own secret insecurities.
Whatever your insecurities might be, just know that your Heavenly Father loves you very much! Your Heavenly Father is so proud of you! As you “stand up there in the children’s choir” this Christmas, and do whatever that thing is which your Heavenly Father has called you to do … know that your Heavenly Father is beaming!
It doesn’t matter what everyone else is doing. It doesn’t matter if you do it as good as everyone else.
“Sing your heart out”! Your Heavenly Father has His gaze on you … and He is delighted in you!
