The Selfish Selfie

The selfish selfie: I stand in front of my bathroom mirror and strike a pose as I take a picture of myself. I repeat this multiple times. After taking about 73 selfies, I go through and I critique each one. "Did my smile look funny in this one? Was my hair messed up in that one? Wait a minute, I have to change the lighting on this one -that and I think I look too fat." After skimming through and picking the "winning" photo of me, I edit it on my instagram to get it looking, "just right" and then post in on Facebook for my friends and family to see. I do it because I want to feel loved, noticed, appreciated, accepted and liked. I wasn't the most popular one in school but it's easy to feel popular and famous on Facebook. I guess I do it because I need and want to be loved & noticed. If not for me, at least for my cute hairstyle, or my new make-up color. Sound familiar?

The selfless selfie:

I don't exist.

None of us want to think of ourselves as stuck up, self-absorbed, and needy. The truth is though, that we all are --yeah, myself included (this isn't about making myself look better, I'm NOT in any shape way or form, "better" so don't think that!) When we take pictures of ourselves we are looking to receive something. For you that might be, recognition for something you have accomplished, or for something you bought that you wanted others to stare at or, something your wearing or the way you did your make up, maybe wanting to impress someone. For me, I take selfies to show off how many lbs. I have lost after a baby. Truth is, I suck it in ladies so don't feel bad. We ALL are looking to feel loved appreciated, accepted and liked for who we are and what we do. You might be thinking, "what in the heck is wrong with being liked?" I would say to that, nothing --but tell me what your motives are and I might have a different answer. If we are going to be brutally honest with ourselves our main motives aren't selfless ones when we post selfies. There is always a reason for the, "why?" Behind the how.

Like I mentioned up there, there could be several reasons for you as to why you post what you post. The question is, why do you post them? What are your motives? If they are not pure I would reconsider running to the bathroom mirror.

Selfies are selfish because you cannot take a picture of your self without looking for some kind of feedback, response or attention. 9 times out of 10 it's for a selfish reason. And you can't take a picture of yourself without focusing on yourself, that's impossible! Do let me clarify, just because your running to the bathroom mirror with your iphone everyday to snap a selfie DOES NOT make you a selfish person. What makes us selfish is when we are doing it to GET something out of it to benefit ourselves and make us feel better in some way. That is selfishness and that is shallow and that is wrong.

We can't really help being selfish because we are bent towards selfishness as humans because we are sinners. Which is why having a selfless attitude is harder for us to grasp. Taking selfies isn't wrong or bad, or terrible but check your motives. Not just in the bathroom mirror with your iphone but in all of life. In all the decisions that you make --make for certain that your motives are pure, and that whatever it is you are doing you are bringing glory and honor back to Christ.

It's not all about you. It's all about God. Sorry.

I encourage you to not feel the need to look for acceptance in the number of little red notification boxes that pop up on your facebook page everyday. Look to Christ to fill that empty groove. Nobody else "likes" you more than God. After all, he made you. Don't waste your life running after the opinions of what other people think of you to gain acceptance and feel "cool". Find security in knowing that at the end of the day people's opinions of you (good or bad) don't matter. Reality check! Your NOT as good as people say you are, and your not as bad as people say you are either. At the end of the day, it's what God thinks that counts. And he thinks your beautiful and great. Don't try to reassure yourself that "you've still got it" because that won't last. Beauty is fleeting. One day your gonna' get old, and then what huh? Change your mindset. Check your motives. Chase after God.