Am I Really Here?

I read somewhere that teens and even tweens are so driven by likes on social media that they wonder if they exist without feedback. That growing problem, along with an article about the "human stock market" led to a week-long series of messages for 9-12 year olds at a Bible camp this summer (read more about the week here). It's kind of funny how God uses those experiences to work more in my life than He does in the lives of the people I'm speaking to. Such was the case this time, once again.

Maybe my own internal wrestling with intrinsic value is why the song, "Made in the Image of God" by We Are Messengers caught my attention. It talks about where our value comes from in such a beautiful, powerful way. Over and over again, I used that song to reinforce the truth that our value as people is not dependent on either our performance or our appearance. Value isn't determined by how many likes or comments we get on social media. And yet, I recognized my own struggle with the same thing. 

We celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary on July. It was a wonderful time spent doing things we love the most. It did not, however, include posting on social media. My time is so precious right now (occupied by family, ministry, and school, which includes LOTS of reading, writing, and research) that I don't tend to invest much of it that way. I love to capture photos (like this one from our anniversary trip) but I have gotten to the point where I don't necessary want to share those treasured moments with all my "friends" on Facebook. It is an intentional decision. It is a choice, made in part because, even though I am intellectually aware that my value is independent from anything to do with how many likes I get, it can still be distracting.  

A little backstory. The day the above picture was taken was truly amazing. It was our 27th wedding anniversary. I had a wonderful time. I am more in love with my husband than I have ever been. Life is good. But I didn't post about it on social media. So I didn't get any comments. No well wishing from acquaintances who scrolled by my feed. No likes on pictures. Then, after getting tagged in a post, I got sucked into the social media vortex and scrolled by someone else's post about their anniversary. Though I wish it wasn't true, I couldn't help noticing how many likes and comments this other person got. And suddenly, I started feeling sorry for myself. I didn't have any likes. That made me think of how I've posted things that nobody liked or commented on. It doesn't feel good. 

Honestly, I can see how Gen Zers wonder if they really exist when nobody comments or likes their posts. Influencers are becoming rich, simply because people watch their videos on YouTube or like their social media posts and someone figured out how to monetize that. Influencers have growing value in our culture. They seem to be the voices to listen to; they are popular, pursued, and (at least in appearances) "practically perfect in every way." It is hard to hold onto the truth when so much around us is reinforcing a different narrative. And yet, God's Word is still true. Value comes from our identity as image bearers, not from our performance (even on social media). We aren't more precious because a post goes viral. We still matter even if nobody notices, likes, or comments on what we share. 

It is interesting how God teaches me things that I don't always know I need to learn.  And if the truth be told, this is not a lesson I really thought I needed. But when I felt that twinge of jealousy looking at someone else's likes when I hadn't even posted, it was like God spoke to my heart about my value and how desperately I needed to learn the lesson I've been sharing with others. 

What about you? Can you relate?