I love this verse. First, anything that entails rejoicing is my cup of tea. But it's more than that. It's the idea of rejoicing for others.
We live in a world where competition is fierce. The Olympics. March Madness. The Super Bowl. World Series. Sports of every kind imaginable available to watch 24/7, all year long. Sports I didn't even know were sports. And people take their sports teams very seriously. Spending crazy amounts of money to participate--or just watch, in some cases. Spending crazy amounts of time watching them.
Competition in schools is unbelievable. As a parent, I know the pressures many high school students face every day to not only succeed, but to excel. To earn a better grade, a higher GPA, a higher class rank. Because all of those influence the college they'll attend and how much funding they might get. And a higher class rank means you'll get more funding. Some colleges and universities won't even talk to a student who's not in the top ten percent.
But it's more than that. Ever heard the phrase "keeping up with the Joneses?" Know how long that's been around? Since 1913, and Arthur R. Momand wrote a comic strip by the same name. Over 100 years, friends. More than a century of trying to have what everyone else has, if not more.
Actual studies have been conducted regarding social media and its effect on those who use it. Findings have shown spending time on social media can cause depression. Know why? Because, to many, it's a big competition. Sometimes, yes, it's intentional, though not always. But we spend so much time looking at everyone's perfect lives--at least they appear perfect, right?--we begin to feel our own lives aren't good enough.
Her home is so nice. Much nicer than mine.
He makes so much more money than I do.
He/she is so much smarter, prettier, funnier, more organized, more creative, the list goes on and on. And often ... it's not even true. I mean, if I post a cute picture of my cat or one of our dogs, I'm absolutely blurring out the needs-to-be-vacuumed carpet. If I take a picture of my delicious meal, I'm cropping out the splatters on the stove and the backsplash. Through the magic of filters, cropping, blurring, and Photoshop, my life is perfect.
Not.
But I also post my own foibles. Cuts and kitchen disasters. The horrible trumpet vine in our back yard. Other small glimpses of insanity or clumsiness. I'm kind of an open book.
So the next time you see a post about someone's wonderful vacation, new car, new home, new job, new whatever amazing thing they have ... rejoice. Rejoice in their blessings, their victories. Be happy for them. Thank God for their celebration.
And the next time you see someone's cute dog or adorable kid, know there's very likely some imperfection blurred or cropped out.
And the next time you see someone's injured foot, cut finger, crumpled fender ... or worse ... weep with them. Let them know you hurt for them. Do what you can to lift them up.
It's that simple.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
- For the next week (longer if you choose, but at least a week), when you see someone's post about something good in their life, be sure you comment in a positive way. And yes, say a prayer of thanksgiving for their blessing.
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