Not so long ago, we could fool people into believing that life was good by smiling on Sunday morning as we said, “Everything is great.” No one really knew what that statement meant but few would challenge your friendly disposition with a question about your marriage or prayer life. Speed up to the twenty-first century, and the problem has been exasperated by cellphones, computers, and tablets who apps are only a tap away. Equipped with technology, we can now create entire social media campaigns comprised of posts, tweets, and selfies solely designed to give people the impression that our life is assume! My job, I love it. Our kids, they are always obedient. And the Spouse, we have the perfect marriage. Upload, click, post, and like!
But the problem is we don’t have it all together. Life on earth is not heaven. If anything, it’s purgatory, and at times, its even hell. LIfe is trials, disappoints, and struggles that crests and fall like ocean waves. Even nature groans under pressure of this fallen world (Romans 1).
As Christian, we are not called to deny the reality of our fallen world by sweeping it under the social-media rug. We are called to overcome through Christ. We can admit that we struggle and then turn to Christ. One of my favorite responses to people who think about our son always possess a sweet disposition is, “He’s great until he cries.” Now don’t get me wrong, I think my son amazing (just check out my social media footprint). But for all its Instagram highlights, parenting is work, hard work. And, we can only survive by admitting our frustrations, struggles failures and by finding solutions to our problems in Christ.
In Psalm 34, David says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all” (vs. 19). As believers, we will face hardships. We will face unemployment, kids will put holes in the wall (at least I did on occasion), and we will fight with our spouse. However, the solution is not to tweet our problems away; the solution is to cry out to God and to seek comfort in the body of Christ. And we go to our heavenly father with confidence; he always hears the prayers of the righteous (vs.4-5). When we pray God provides, convicts, and reconciles. Though we may feel depressed and broken beyond recognition, God will save us ( vs.18).
And on Sundays, the people of God come together to exalt this great God who will heal the shattered hearts (vs.3). The church exists not to cover hardships, but to assist its members in overcoming their struggles through Christ. We need to humbly depend on Christ together in community.
Now, I do not think we should all start ranting on twitter or start posing funeral dirges on Facebook. I also will not be posting pictures of my son crying on Instagram anytime soon. Quite frankly, there is already too much complaining, gossip, and sin invading neutral cyberspace. But at the same time, let’s be careful not to use the internet to create dishonest pictures of our life. If we are fakies, we may be able to create a great reputation, but eventually it will shatter. Eventually, we will no longer be able to hide the pain, the sorrow, and the disappointment under smiling selfies. Eventually we will have to deal with the reality of our fallen world. But the good news is, God never want us to suffer alone. Let’s admit we struggle and then embrace the refuge of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ.
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