What's in Your Selfie?

 

  Today I'm writing on a very controversial topic in the teen girls' world. Not only have I been thinking about how to write about this, but how to do it in a way that would be in love, rather than trying to point fingers at people. However, I understand that the majority of the world does not agree with what I have to say.

   The title of this post is, "What's in Your Selfie?" and I would like you to think about what defines your selfie. What steps do you go through when you take one? What steps do you go through before you post it to ANY type of social media (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.)?

   Before we go any further, we need to lay some foundation. First, let's see what Mr. Webster has to say about beauty.
 

     Beauty: the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit

   This is exactly what the world's representation of beauty is. Keep this in mind. Let's now see what God has to say about beauty.

   We're going to turn to 1 Peter 3:3-6. 

     Do not let your adorning be external-the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.

   This is a super famous verse on biblical beauty, but I want us to really examine what it has to say. We see this verse exactly as it is, and take it and apply it to our culture somewhat. But do we really realize what this is saying?

   Let's start with the first part. Basically, don't let your thoughts always be on the external/outside. It's 1) stressful (at least for me) and 2) not honoring to God. You have full right to look nice, but to be focused on that is not good or healthy. That's where most, if not all, of the eating disorders originate from. Anyway.

We need to be thinking from the inside out. 

   To really understand this part, I'm going to put it in my own words that apply to the present culture.

   Don't let your beauty depend on your outward appearance-overkill makeup, always stressing about the latest fashion trend, having to get the latest version of the iPhone (or Samsung for all you weirdos ; )) , putting up masks to fit in with the popular girls at school, etc.-but let your beauty depend on what's inside of you; that which never loses its value. Kindness, love, patience, and submissiveness are a few of these qualities. Our relationship with God should shine through everything and make us different. 

   The external things that we let take control are things that are constantly changing; it's the keeping up of the outward appearance to the world. It's tiring and stressful, and it doesn't yield any long-term enjoyment or fulfillment. When we really think about it, we have to choose what we devote our time to. Do you choose the outward things or the inward growth in Christ? 

   Thinking from the inside out, as mentioned before, is key to balancing these two things. If we focus on Christ and what he would have us to do everything else rolls out from there. How we dress, how we talk, and how we even take selfies is impacted by what we believe and invest our time into. 

   So, to get back to the topic. What I find today is a lot of, well, weird looking pictures. There are ways we can...contort...our face to make ourselves look "hot" if you will. And to be very blunt, this is what we are surrounded by. Ads everywhere are sexualizing pictures, and if we're not careful, we become just like them.

There is a difference between looking beautiful and looking seductive.   

   This is SUPER important. Beauty is not the same as being "hot." Beauty, at least, the way God defines beauty, only comes from the inside. 

   Think about it this way. When you go into Walmart or Safeway, you see two different things on your trip. One is a girl who has perfect skin, makeup, clothes, phone, etc. who is mouthing off to her parents and throwing a pity party because she can't go to some party. Another is in the checkout line, where this other young lady pays for the groceries of the person in front of her because she overheard them talking about their financial difficulties. Which one will you remember more? Which one made a lasting impression on you? 

   This is what is really comes down to. As far as the selfies go, it is perfectly fine to look cute, nice, etc. But to take one that is drawing attention to things in the wrong way is seductive. It doesn't matter what your intentions are, what matters is this: Would you post/send if God was looking at it? He most definitely is, but we forget that sometimes. 

   So here's what it comes down to. I don't have a list of dos and don'ts of guidelines for these things. I couldn't think of them all and there most certainly would be loopholes. The overarching rule is what was stated above: 

Would you post/send if God was looking at it? Does it honor Him?  

   I hope this post is helpful and possibly even eye-opening to all of you. It was a study that was interesting for me to do as it was something I felt that I needed to revisit for my own reasons. If you have any comments, please feel free to do so below!