I have been affirmed time and time again for posting that. It's a conscious decision of letting yourself be seen by anyone and everyone by posting something like that and NO, I am not sorry I did, nor ashamed that people know that about me now. It's actually quite freeing.
Look, I know that to some it may have been a shock, and to others, a sigh of relief: she IS real. Yes. I am human. I do struggle with doubts, fears, insecurities, just like everyone else. And sometimes I need to remind myself of the last part of that sentence, "just like everyone else." My friend Amber said it really well yesterday:
"It's easy to compare the ins and outs of our whole life with the snapshots of others' lives"
AMEN. Isn't that really what it is? We allow ourselves to compare. When has God ever told us to compare our lives to other people's, to find our identity, our normalcy?? NEVER. God's word says our life is hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:3)." We don't find our value or worth in abilities and jobs and clothes and pictures. We are not to live up to other's expectations. God's word says that we should be worthy of..."the gospel of Christ (Phil 1:27)," "the Lord, and his calling (Col 1:10; 2Thes 1:11)". not the love and respect of our neighbours we all desire. The gospel of Christ. The Lord's calling. Let's check what standards we are using to measure ourselves...I'm not one to keep track of views, hits, likes, etc. But I can't help but note that my blog had 111 pageviews on April 7th, the day I posted "Wrecked." which was advertised as "raw and unedited. me" when the most pageviews in one day before that was around 36, and the average per day around 3.
What does that say about us as people?
Maybe we are just really curious people.
Maybe we just really care a lot. (I'm not doubting that you do!)
Maybe we want to help the person in need, or pray for them.
But here's the honest question I want to put out to us. [Believe me when I say it's not coming from a place of resentment or skepticism of your support. NOT ONE BIT. I'm not even saying this is a bad thing. I just wonder sometimes, about us, about people. the human 'race.'] So I wonder:
"Do we like to read about others' weakness and sorrows because it makes us more relateable, more on equal playing ground?"
4/14/13. DISCLAIMER: maybe I need to rephrase my question.. I understand that the words "like to read" implies that we find pleasure, or that we read in order to gain the discussed result. This is NOT what I was trying to get across. I am not saying that we go looking for things to read about others to make ourselves feel better. I am simply pointing out our tendancy to compare. Our tendancy to say to ourselves, "my life is not as good as so-and-so's, because they have it all together." But when we find out they don't have a perfect life, we kinda feel better. Not the "yes!-I'm-not-as-bad-as-you" better. I mean the "Oh,-thank-God-I'm-not-crazy.-I'm-not-the-only-one" better.
So...
"Do we read others' sorrows and find relief because it makes us more relateable,, more "normal," more on equal playing ground?"
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!!!
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