Spiritual Selfies

Proverbs 21:13:  "Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor. he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard."

I wasn't surprised when I read that the 2013 word of the year was "selfie". That smacks of over emphasis on "self" which is the root of the word.

I have watched the rise of the popularity of the ""selfie" on social media and have been amazed at how insecure people are. There is an incredible amount of social peer pressure involved in it. The youth, especially girls, frequently post pictures of themselves, trying to conform to impossible standards of beauty, just to get their "friends" to post comments about how beautiful or pretty they are! This requires countless poses and "takes" and also "photo editing" the pictures to improve them to look better than who they really are.

I know a little bit of the effort in getting a good "selfie". Every now and then, I try to snap one to send to my youngest two long distant grandchildren. I don't want them to forget me. I send very few...
I want them to have good memories!!!!!!

I recently have taken note of the newest trend: "ugly selfies". This evolved from the tiresome job of failing to feel perfect. Thus, a switch to the "I don't care" self-expression!

I believe all this is a cry to be seen, accepted, heard and loved! All of us need affirmation from others. But what concerns me is the "me-focused' generation this is breeding and the large amount of time our youth are spending on it!

Surely there are better ways to spend our time!  I think social media is probably here to stay and it is a wonderful tool to keep connected with long distance family and friends. And don't misunderstand me. I love memories passed on with pictures! But it seems the media could be used in a very personal way to reach out and bless. I know there are some who do. I also know hours are spent posting or reading useless information and passing it on.  But a scripture comes to mind in II Timothy that speaks of the last days where people will be " lovers of themselves."

I think if we are truly reflecting a life for God, we are going to be "others" focused.  Maybe we should all take our pulse and see where we are. We spend a lot of time on ourselves; how much time do we give to others? A modern translation of the Proverbs referral to "poor" could be pretty broad. It could be our parents, a spouse, siblings, our church friends, neighbors, or someone who needs sought out. Relationships are suffering everywhere. We are too busy taking to give. We are very needy in our relationships.

"A man is called selfish not for pursuing his own good, but for the neglecting of his neighbor's".       Richard Whately

Let's take a  "spiritual selfie".  I think we'll find we are pretty imperfect!  Let's start reaching out to heal relationships or make new ones!  Making contact can  be done at our fingertips.

Selfies can reflect pride, insecurity. or just emptiness. In reality, all of us can be very poor, needy and lonely. Could it be we have become so absorbed with our insecurities that we are continually seeking for approval from others and yet never feeling like we are fulfilled by it? I feel that most of our neediness can be satisfied through practicing Christ's example of giving to others. By doing so, we will have no time to feel like we are impoverished. In giving out to others, our own cries are being answered.

My practice for myself, when I'm feeling insecure or depressed, is to get up and get busy. I will fix a meal, bake some bread, make a phone call, send a text, or mail a card.  In general, I seek out a needy person. I don't have to look far. It immediately answers my inward cries of feeling sorry for myself.

A spiritual " selfie" can be scary. But we can do a little "photo editing" and come up with some ideas how to change ourselves. And, keep in mind, all of us are posting "selfies" every day for others to see!