Have you seen the hashtag #iamamaker?
Posts all over Instagram highlight those of us who create; quilters, knitters, those who crochet, sewers, etc. It’s awesome to use the talents God has given to create something either for a loved one or for sale to provide for our families.
But
There’s always a but with me. I don’t know if it’s just me or if you feel it too. That big nagging feeling that there’s a compromise I have to make to try to grow my social media presence if I want to highlight my “maker” goods. And, if I’m being honest, I want to highlight God not “my” anything. Without God, I can’t create or hope to grow my business. I can’t do anything. The thing about social media is that it makes a person focus on themselves rather than putting God first.
Is it just me or does that bother you too? Am I alone in feeling like Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest are all about me, me, me? When did we decide to buy into that trap rather than focusing on others and God?
How do we balance living in our real world, with our immediate neighbors, family and friends while building our business side? How long has it been since you’ve actually visited an elderly neighbor and taken the time to be present with them (and not been tempted to post about it)? Isn’t that vastly more important than posting a pretty picture? Aren’t we called to love the least of us, rather than focusing on becoming an influencer?
I heard that Pinterest was going to start removing pictures they deem “offensive.” Facebook and YouTube ban videos that are found to be contrary to their standards. Don’t misread what I’m writing as some political debate. It’s actually more a battle within myself to find the balance of “needing” those social media monsters to create an audience AND not needing an audience.
What do we as Christians do when we don’t want to live for this world but live in this world?
If you have any suggestions or answers, please send them my way!
Jenny its so true. I have not heard of that hashtag mostly I’m not part of a click, circle or group. I was talking today to my husband trying to explain how I’m an introvert, not into social media at all and without the social media I’m pretty much dead in the water. That’s sad. And it does hurt seeing a “like of hundreds” where others get “3” likes because they are not “popular” by social media’s standards. This has been heavy on my heart lately and it has cause me to loose my motivation. Thank you sweet friend for sharing.
It’s like high school, isn’t it? Won’t we ever escape the comparison bug? But more than that, I want my message (that I feel God has laid upon my heart) to be read by others and if it’s not going to be found on social media, shouldn’t I be spreading that message to my neighbors? I don’t want to let God down. Don’t lose your motivation, Jersey. Double down your efforts and see where God takes you. What do you think about a March retreat in Oklahoma for motivating each other?
Jenny,
I get what you are saying but I also think social media can be a force for good. For someone who wants to quilt and wants one of your beautiful patterns, then finding yours is like a gift to them. But of course there is a dark side to everything in a fallen world. I hope you don’t dwell on it but inside focus on the light.
Thanks, Katie, for reading along. God’s gonna have to lead me cause I’m a little lost on this topic!
It is a struggle, I am often torn, so if I don’t have peace, I don’t post anything on social media. It has been that simple for me. I also don’t hang out there that much, many times I don’t walk away feeling inspired, I walk away feeling inadequate. I don’t have big numbers there at all…oh well. It is always a matter of the heart. My husband is an engineer, not all of WHAT he does is going to bring others to Jesus, however, HOW he does it just might. I try to remember that and just function as I am led by the Holy Spirit.
Oh, Jenn, I love the comparison to your hubby’s job. It IS often the example we’re setting. I guess with social media, I’m finding, that without numbers I’m not really “setting any example” like I should be in “real” life, you know? But absolutely, being led by the Holy Spirit is the only way to go forth. Hope your pregnancy is going well!!
I definitely get where you are coming from, I actually was thinking about something similar this morning. I think for me social media is separate from who I am as a person. I only share my “business” I rarely share anything super personal. I don’t share about my small group of middle school girls that I lead. I have occasionally shared the IG account I pray with everyday on their live stories. I don’t share my struggles or the answers to prayer because that’s not what my accounts are about. I’ve actually been tempted to start an IG account just for faith related topics I would like to share. My philosophy is to keep social media and being a maker in its place, it’s not who I am. But I do sneak it in there without people knowing. My social media handle is all about my faith! I even name my animals after saints. I try to put out the light of Christ with every post, even if I don’t mention His name. But I agree it’s a struggle. It also takes diligence to not get overly concerned about it all. I hope my rambling makes sense and I think it’s such an important topic for people of faith to wrestle with.
Great, thought-provoking post! It’s great to create “stuff” but how good is it if nobody sees it? I sometimes struggle, too, but most of the time I just do what I think I gotta do …
That made me laugh, Anja, “do what I think I gotta do.” I feel like I’m stumbling along…