NEWS FLASH: REAL LIFE IS EVEN BETTER THAN INSTAGRAM

What would you all say if I told you that my Instagram is only a small reflection of how good my real life is?  I cannot tell you how many times I have been part of conversations or overheard conversations where people have made comments about how Instagram can’t really be how life is and all that. That their life can’t really be as good as those little squares make it seem. And while I do think there are a lot of people out there creating an image that’s not them, did you ever think that maybe just maybe, there are some of us out there who actually are the people you see online? And if there was anything to say, it would actually be that my life is even better than what you see on Instagram. I mean you see the photo of me on the beach or in my #OOTD on my way to dinner with my husband. But I got to take in God’s beautiful creation on that beach and be reminded of how much He loves me. And on my date with Ben, I tasted some amazing food at dinner and laughed the night away with my husband. And maybe talked about our hopes and dreams for the future. So if I were to say anything, it would be that real life is even better than Instagram.

No. You are not going to see photos of me just after a fight with a husband and have me tell you how bad it was. But that’s because it’s something just between the two of us. And just like you don’t share your best friend’s secrets with the world, I’d say those times are the same. Usually in those moments, I’m away from my phone, fully invested emotionally in what is going on. And to be honest, even if we have an extra bad day, we’re always laughing by the end of it. And you want to know what else, he’ll probably be in my Instastory after that, and I’ll be laughing at something he does. And I might even post a photo after that really hard day of us saying how much I love him. And that’s not because I’m being fake or trying to convince myself of that, it’s because really good things are a lot of hard work and investment, and hard conversations that take emotion are what make me love him even more.

And if you think my life is too “curated” on Instagram, I just say that Instagram for me is an artistic expression, and the way my photos are  edited are just part of my style. Want to see me without makeup? Just watch my Insta-stories for one day, and you probably will. Because I don’t care if you see me that way. And chances are if you ran into me on a Monday out doing errands, that’s exactly how you’d find me. #nofilter

Want to know my secret? JOY. I don’t know what else to tell you other than I truly am happy with the life God has given me. He has filled me with a joy that isn’t my own. That believes that my life outside of those little squares is something worth celebrating. And that believes that even on the hardest day, my God is SO GOOD. And I have something to celebrate. And my Instagram and this blog are just the smallest expression of that joy. OH and p.s. before you say well you’re just saying that because you do have a good life or something like that, I could tell you things in my life that are hard. Heck, I probably already have here on my blog because that’s what I do. But in the midst of the hard, Jesus is still good and real life is still better than my Instagram.

So next time you start comparing yourself to someone on the internet, think about how great your life really is, even if you didn’t capture it in the perfect photo. And start living YOUR life. Not wishing you had someone else’s.

Three cheers to being cooler in real life than on the Internet.

xoxo,

Christine

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