5 minute read
By Bethany Rees

RANT!

“I hate photo filters!” 

I’ve said this statement as long as photo filters have been existing.

Photo filters give the person in the picture (and the person viewing it) an altered image that is not real.

My daughter volunteered to show the difference (Note: She was already wearing makeup because she's a teenager, but also notice her shirt which says: "the struggle is real" 🤣). 

CASE AND POINT⬇️

Y’all these filters are warping our brains. 

They make us appear polished when really underneath it all, we are not that glowing. 

They are making us idolize a false image. 

Girls and boys alike are constantly seeing an unrealistic image of what society says is beautiful. (Yeah, and don’t even get me started on AI generated images or contouring make-up junk.)

Filtered Images…y'all people naturally don’t look like that.  

You know there is actually a huge increase of young women and men getting plastic surgery or injections to alter their appearance so they look more like these filtered images. It's called Snapchat dysmorphia. (See this article for more info. or here)

Ugh! 

We have got to stop “adding more cowbell” to God’s creation in order to "make it better" because society says we need more cowbell.

God created us in His image and He doesn’t make mistakes. 

He placed these moles around my eyes. He gave me the recessive gene that won out to give me a shortened left thumb. 

We have to stop this madness of trying to polish up and filter what was perfectly created in its unpolished state to begin with. 

We are creating a competitive race of status of who looks better, younger, thinner, etc. It’s a race of chasing after the wind because the look we keep chasing isn’t real. 

OH CRAP! 

But with all my ranting, let me confess that I’m really just a hypocrite. 

I’ve never been one for social media; that is until I started a business and podcast. To get my message out on how to “build your life and leadership on the rocks…the essential rocks,” I created a social media platform full of videos and images. 

AND…I’ve spent hours trying to make them/me look polished. 

Hours recording, rerecording, and editing in hopes that I come across as an authority on the subject or like I know what I’m doing. 

While I’m not using a filter, I’m 100% working extra to polish up my stumbling and bumbling self. Or as the Mystery Gang from Scooby Doo would discover, there really is a human behind the mask. 

And here’s the sad part…I’ve never noticed how I began idolizing the polished image. 

Before long, my videos or images weren’t about the message anymore, they were becoming about how I looked or came across. 

So how did I finally see the “log” in my own eye after years of complaining about the speck in the photo filters? (Matthew 7:1-6)

Answer = Scripture and the Holy Spirit!

I was reading Matthew 18 this week in which the disciples asked Jesus the question, “Who is the greatest?” Well, the Holy Spirit gave me a 1-2 punch of truth with Jesus’ answer. 

 … “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." ~Matthew 18:3-4

Now mind you, I’ve read this passage a lot in my life. My previous thoughts were around the concept of: “we need to be like sweet and innocent little children; that’s cute.” 

But this week, the 1-2 punch of understanding was around this: 

Me: “Hmm, humbles himself like a child?”

Holy Spirit: “Children are unpretentious and have nothing to prove. They don’t have the need to impress others with their appearance of looks, importance, talent, wealth, etc.”

Me: “Wow, I’ve never thought about it that way.” 

Holy Spirit: “Don’t you see that you’ve been pretentious with your social media? You’re working so hard to come across as polished and filtered. You're making it about you and how you come across instead of the important message I’ve given you to share.”

Me: “Oh crap! I totally have. I’ve been more worried about polishing my work rather than just vulnerably sharing the message you’ve given me so You can do Your thing with it. I am such a hypocrite. Please forgive me Father! 

 Holy Spirit: “You’re forgiven child. Now go…create a video to share what you’ve learned, and do it now with no makeup, messy morning hair, and zero editing. And I want you to fast (abstain from) social media after you post it.  I don’t want you to check to see the status of engagements.” 

(FYI: I would have linked to the video here, but at the time of this writing I’m fasting social media. 🤣 So it's on my Leadershipontherocks social platform if you want to view it.)

Oh how I must stop comparing myself to others out there by trying to mirror society and what’s trending, when the one I should mirror is Jesus.

I don’t have to try to keep up with society and it's polished and filtered self, I only need to remain close to Jesus. 

 The Lesson Learned

So what have I learned about being filtered and polished?  

1. When it comes to rants and pet peeves, I need to slow down and pray “Lord, please show me the log in my eye because my attention is being pulled to notice the speck in others’ eyes.” 

2. Before I post I need to to slow down and pray “Help me to live REAL and unpolished in my “reels” because what I produce isn’t about me; it’s about You.”

No matter what we produce in our everyday life, may you and I live life “unpolished” and humbled like children so we make room for Father God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit to work. 

P.S. This week’s music video is a must watch!

Know Better. Do Better. Live Better. Live Real and Unpolished!

Rocks before Sand!

Scripture: 

“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 

~Matthew 18:3-4

Theme Song: 

Colbie Caillat - Try (Official Video)

References Used:

• The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.