Tear the Picture Up

Lights, camera, action- cheese! The frozen smiles and well-poised bodies line the beautifully curated walls of social media. Pictures, framed to perfection and well-captioned words fill feeds as lives are portrayed in pristine and flawless condition. Our eyes glaze over the glossy photos and well-crafted pages displaying the tales of adventures being told, that leave us wondering and wishing when we too can travel to secret destinations and post our highlight reels for all to see. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and the words, both spoken and unspoken, permeate through our screens and into our minds unleashing a myriad of questions — “Am I really living life? Am I doing enough? Am I missing out on all of the luxurious things life has to offer? So we sit, judging ourselves by the truncated stories we see in these pictures. And by failing to acknowledge the fullness of the untold lives of those who are telling only the pretty parts of their stories, we can at times begin to downplay the very beauty of our own lives. The thing is, in showing only the best parts ourselves, we continue to perpetuate a culture where authenticity is not valued but the perception of a life of perfection is.

Simply stated- perfection is boring and hides the rough, rugged edges of a life well-lived. A life full of ups and downs that persists in spite of the daily battles that try to wear one down. And it is important for you to realize that your vulnerability is needed now more than ever. Your story- the nice shiny parts full of joy, and the dirty, really yucky parts that we all try to cover up — all of it is valuable and comes packed with its own testimony that can bless the very souls of all who you are willing to share it with. So at this moment where it is a necessity for us to maintain social distancing, let us not distance ourselves from each other emotionally. Instead, may we be willing to open ourselves up to connect in authentic and meaningful ways. Ways in which we are not afraid to share our daily struggles and victories with others and make the conscious choice to be an open, written epistle (2 Corinthians 3: 2–3) for all to read and be inspired to show up in their fullest selves.