Pinterest Fail

What do you do in your free time? Do you scroll Facebook looking at people’s recent vacation photos? Or watch reality stars via Instagram? What about spending time sifting through Pinterest for your next home project or ideas for quick meals for a picky toddler? I’m guilty of all three. It’s my mindless entertainment when I need my brain to turn off. However, it isnt mindless; it makes my wheels turn more than actually shut down.

In the midst of scrolling for “How to’s” on paIlet projects and checking out the pics from a friend’s latest adventure with her kids, I feel my confidence whither. I come across parenting tips on how telling your kid to “Stop that” or using any form of spanking means you need to re-evaluate your parenting methods. The last two times I’ve been Pinterest surfing or Instagram/Facebook stalking, I’ve put my phone down feeling completely inadequate. I’ve popped Griffin’s hand twice in the past week. I shrunk with the realization that my quick Rice Krispie treats for Griffin’s gym class paled in comparison to the photo of a friend’s home-made, elaborate Thomas the Train cupcakes. While I appreciate the endless resources that Pintrest offers, and am so proud of that friend such an awesome job, I convince myself that I’ll never live up to being that put together mom that so many SEEM to be.

It’s in those moments that I bow my head and pray for God to heal my heart for every time I’ve felt like one big Pinterest Fail or the least “liked” person on Facebook and Instagram. He comforts me in those moments, because he knows it hard to live up to those worldly standards set by social media. But the truth is, those credentials of perfect baker, perfect parent, perfect wife, and perfect Christian are completely unattainable. Why? Because it’s not reality.

It’s funny to me how easily we perceive people through photos, pins, and quick observation. A personal example is this… This morning Griff and I were having a lunch date before I’m back on the road for a women’s conference. My hair is fixed (for once). I have on a decent outfit. And we had a pretty organized lunch to be eating with a two year old. A lady approached me and said,” How on earth did you have time to curl your hair? And how did you make it with no outfit change or food on the floor? I’ve barely had time to shower.” All I could do was laugh and reply, “Somedays I don’t shower.” What she didn’t see was more accurate. I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off [while he watched Mickey on my phone] so I could get ready. And she didn’t see us a mere 10 minutes later in the shoe store as I picked up an entire row of shoes that Griff ran by and took off with the clothes hanger maneuver!

Its so easy to compare yourself when you see small pieces of people’s lives through Pinterest or Facebook. It’s easy for 1,000 different moms to give you parenting advice on how to parent “correctly.” But there is no correct way. We should just be asking God how to lead and love our children in a way that makes them adults with character and a thirst for a relationship with Him. And then there’s those pins, photos, and posts of friends who seem to have it all together… Those who always look like a million bucks, never sport the messy bun, never show the look of exhaustion, and whose snacks never look like overcooked Rice Krispie goo balls (that’s what mine were). Remember there’s more going on in their four walls than a Facebook post, pin on Pinterest, or Instagram photo will elude. There’s days they need God’s compassion and reminders of His love, too. We all do.

God created us in His image. When we feel that tugging on our heart to compare ourselves based on what we see on social media… Remember, it’s JUST a post. It’s just a pin. You want to know how worthy you are as a person, parent, or spouse?? Close your eyes, open your heart, and ask GOD to show you. I assure you what HE has to say will far outweigh any pin or photo we could find elsewhere.