Kim Kardashian, Selfies and Our Need for Approval
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Ok, so we have all seen it. That, um, vivacious picture that spilled into every news feed last week. The one you weren't looking for, but it happened to pop up EVERYWHERE.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][dt_gap height="10"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Yeah, that one.It was trending everywhere. Articles have been written about it and because of it. Great articles about what to tell your teens about these pictures. And I love these articles and there is so much good and truth in them but, I'm gonna be honest with you...In my opinion...Kim Kardashian isn't really much different from the rest of us.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][dt_gap height="10"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In a single breath people are trashing and praising.Admiring and degrading.Exalting and humiliating.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][dt_gap height="10"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]And yeah, she did choose to uh, put herself out there, fully knowing the uproar that would ensue and knowing the fame it would bring her.She weighed the cost and in her mind the week of fame, the trending, the hits, the publicity was worth any of the negative.Kim Kardashian knows what is important to her. She knows that her livelihood is based upon her fame and her fame is where her passion and purpose is found.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][dt_gap height="10"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Kim Kardashian is filled by the admiration of others. Her passion is fed by her fame. Her purpose is to share a newsworthy image or story that will create a stir and put her in the limelight in order to stay above the rest who are fighting for those minutes of stardom. She desires to shine through whatever means necessary into the culture that she is a part of.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][dt_gap height="10"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Honestly. we are not that much different are we?
Do you find any satisfaction in the amount of likes for that selfie or that new pinterest project?Sure, hers is extreme, but being in the limelight is extreme.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][dt_gap height="10"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Her passion may be misguided and vain and irreverent, but searching for fame in the eyes of a fickle crowd is a hard road to travel, and yet, so many of us are doing the same. We too in some sense are searching for fame. Searching for that spotlight. Searching for the acknowledgement of other people's approval, admiration, love. We want to be desired, to be liked. We want to be held high and be esteemed in our own worlds.
We want to be famous.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][dt_gap height="10"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Famous in our own world, in our churches, in our own families, our jobs and in our kids schools.We sweat for that perfect pinterest project, we go into debt for the beautiful home decor or fashionable trend, we make our way to the top no matter who we must trample or scorn, whether that's the top of our career ladder or the top of the class with the best and most creative teacher gifts. None of these things are wrong in and of themselves, but the question that we must ask ourselves before we share the ins and outs of our lives is why.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][dt_gap height="10"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Why do we do it? Why am I sharing these specifics of life, these pictures, these gifts and projects and new shoes and vacations?Do I seek admiration and approval in the eyes of the world?What is the purpose for the images that we portray about our own lives?[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][dt_gap height="10"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We were created to be fulfilled. We were created to be passionate and purposed.Kim is not wrong in desiring to have such fulfillment. She is not wrong in her desire to be admired. God created a beautiful woman with beautiful eyes and a strong female body. But unfortunately, she is seeking the admiration of the world and not of the one, true God. She desires to be glorified through her outside appearance and not her heart.In that she is lost...but what about us?Do we seek to be glorified for our outside appearances? Yes, because its nice to be glorified! That's why we take selfies, is it not?
Is taking a selfie any different than Kim posing in all her glory?
Let me ask you this, how many times did you retake that selfie? How many poses and pictures did you take and delete before you chose the perfect one to post on instagram? Were you desiring to look your best, to capture your best profile and smile? Of course your were! Let's be real! I am certainly not going to post the picture that shows the bags under my eyes and I definitely know my left side photographs better than my right side! A little tilt of the chin, head turned, smile softly, eyes wide and click...a perfect selfie.The selfie isn't the problem. Please hear me, I am not condemning selfies...it's the going back to see how many people liked and the being pulled to constantly look to see what others say that is troubling.Kim desires the approval of others...if she isn't liked, the fame is gone.Aren't we the same? in the depths of our heart do we worry that if our posts aren't liked somehow our self worth is a little less significant? Have you ever been a little bummed that only 5 people liked your picture or post?How many times have you taken pictures of your new pinterest project and are proud of the fact that you have 52 likes and are admonished by the fact that others are praising your talent and creativity?Of course that is wonderful and it feels great. You should be proud!We were created to be creative, to be artisans, to desire admiration and approval, but we are not suppose to crave that approval from others, we were created to seek God's approval. The question isn't should I create or take selfies or publish my talents; if God has blessed you with great things, a beautiful background for that selfie, a good husband and marriage, a beach vacation, some cute shoes or the talent to create beautiful projects, then by all means please share! If God has given you the gift of encouragement and you make some amazing gifts for others, share it! If he created you to craft and make your home beautiful for the holidays, Glory be to God because He created you to bring beauty into your home for others to enjoy.That is beautiful and it's good![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][dt_gap height="10"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]But if your reason for posting is because you are looking for the approval of man and for more facebook likes and the admonition of others, that's when you need to ask yourself, 'why am I doing this?'Friends, we have all sought out praise and 'likes,' its part of this crazy, shareaholic world we live in; but I challenge you to ask yourself before you post anything, why are you posting the pictures or status? Check your heart, because if you are looking for praise, if you are seeking love and admiration from others, then your pictures aren't any better than Kim Kardashian's, no matter how innocent and beautiful they may be in comparison to hers. You are not doing anything, but flaunting your vanity like she is.Vanity is vanity.Pride is pride.Sin, in all its forms, is sin.Kim's vanity is in the limelight and exploited for all to see and yes, her circle of influence is much greater than perhaps mine or yours, but though her actions may have a larger effect, our actions may have a deeper impact.In a few weeks, Kim's pictures will be old news. Everyone will have forgotten and time will pass and soon she will make headlines in another crazy form in order to keep her livelihood and fame from falling through the cracks.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][dt_gap height="10"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]At the end of the day, she is a celebrity.The limelight shines on her and then fades to another. She is famous, but the fame isn't real. The fame fades.She is a real person to her people, though, and it is her people that she impacts the most; her husband, children, and family feel the full effects of her desires and decisions in each post and picture.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][dt_gap height="10"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]And you and I are real people to our people; the ones who matter most: the people in our homes, our families and real friends. So everything we say and do and write and share in this media driven society makes an impact, not to our "followers" or to our "friends," but to our people. The ones we live this life for and fight for and are real with.They are the ones watching. They are the ones praying for you. They are the ones who love you.They are the ones who hurt when you hurt. They genuinely like your posts. They laugh at your kids antics. They admire your winning pinterest projects because they desire to encourage you and genuinely see the gifts God has given you.They like and comment on your selfies because they see you..the real you, who you are in real life and on social media. Your character, your love for others; the unique you that God created. And you are beautiful, because behind that selfie or those family pictures or the pictures of you goofing around with your kids or that awesome new hairdo or that perfectly decorated mantle is a woman who was uniquely gifted and purposed by God and she is evidence of His great love.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][dt_gap height="10"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
THAT is why you should post your pictures and share your life.
The word of God says that in whatever we are doing, "Whether we eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" 1 Corinthians 10:31. Everything we do should be for HIS glory and His glory alone. Not for our glory or fame, but for His."For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago" Ephesians 2:10. We are part of his glorious story and his masterpiece and perfect plan. Our gifts are unique, our influences are unique, our people are unique and His love for us is unique.And if He desires the world to see the gifts He has given you or the purposes He has created for you through social media or youtube or Hollywood, to God be the Glory![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][dt_gap height="10"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I pray that Ms. Kardashian will come to know that there is a God who desires to shine His light on her that is brighter than any florescent light Hollywood could ever shine. I pray that she comes to realize that the God who created her, the artisan God who gifted her and made her special from the inside out loves her and believes her to be more unique and precious than any critic can ever proclaim; and that the plans and purpose God desires for her life are better than she could ever imagine. And I hope that she will know that the God of the universe see's her and thinks she is more significant than the stars in the sky.And friends, He see's you too, and He treasures you. In all we do, may we do it for the Glory of God and let us remember the words of Paul, "If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am" 2 Corinthians 11:30.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][dt_gap height="20"][dt_fancy_title title="You are His Beloved," title_align="center" title_size="normal" title_color="default" el_width="70" title_bg="disabled" separator_color="default"][dt_gap height="10"][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][dt_gap height="50"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="839" alignment="center" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][dt_gap height="50"][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row margin_top="0" padding_left="40" padding_right="40" bg_position="top" bg_repeat="no-repeat" bg_cover="false" bg_attachment="false" padding_top="40" padding_bottom="40" parallax_speed="0.1" bg_type="theme_default" bg_grad="background: -webkit-gradient(linear, left top, left bottom, color-stop(0%, #FBFBFB), color-stop(50%, #E3E3E3), color-stop(100%, #C2C2C2));background: -moz-linear-gradient(top,#FBFBFB 0%,#E3E3E3 50%,#C2C2C2 100%);background: -webkit-linear-gradient(top,#FBFBFB 0%,#E3E3E3 50%,#C2C2C2 100%);background: -o-linear-gradient(top,#FBFBFB 0%,#E3E3E3 50%,#C2C2C2 100%);background: -ms-linear-gradient(top,#FBFBFB 0%,#E3E3E3 50%,#C2C2C2 100%);background: linear-gradient(top,#FBFBFB 0%,#E3E3E3 50%,#C2C2C2 100%);" bg_color_value="#ecf6f5" parallax_style="vcpb-default" bg_image_repeat="no-repeat" bg_image_size="cover" bg_img_attach="fixed" parallax_sense="30" viewport_vdo="viewport_play" enable_controls="display_control" bg_override="0"][vc_column width="2/3"][dt_gap height="20"][vc_column_text css=".vc_custom_1412095731177{padding: 20px !important;background-color: #ecf6f5 !important;border-color: #ec97ba !important;border-style: dotted !important;}"]
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