Fun Fact: I mentioned in my last post that I hadn't made any New Years resolutions to change my faith life or anything like that, but I did have another resolution. A lot of people probably think this is stupid and i'm just jinxing myself, but i said I'm never gonna get sick again. Kinda dumb, but my whole reason was that if i am not willing to admit that i am sick, i won't let a cold or a cough stop me from doing my everyday things. So now my plan was that i won't really get sick, i'll just get minor inconveniences that try to stop me from enjoying life. This isn't really going so great though because i just got sick and missed part of a volleyball tournament... Anyways, thats just a really random tidbit about me and the way my mind works i guess.
My real point with this was an idea given to me by the "pep talk in every drop" messages on my cough drop wrappers. I thought it was kind of funny and cute that they would do that, because when people are taking cough drops they are usually not feeling so great and even little 3 word messages could uplift their mood a bit. One of them that stuck out to me though wasn't the cutest, funniest, or most encouraging. It just kind of seemed a bit off to me and for some reason i thought about that for about 10 minutes of my class. It said "Inspire Envy"
I think a popular thing to see on social media are posts about ideal circumstances in the future or bettering your life. They really can make you feel like you are capable of changing your situation and accomplishing you ideal dreams and goals. However, there are also a lot about being the person that other people look at and are jealous of how great your life is. That is what this cough drop pep talk reminded me of.
Also, one of the main arguments against social media is the idea that it allows you to see other's people lives and it leads to comparison of your life in it's entirety (good and bad) to a false front put on by other people where they only show the good parts. One of my favorite things that I have seen in someones instagram bio was "just a highlight reel". Its just a little disclaimer that not all of their life is sunshine and happiness like it might seem, but it also doesn't require them spill their guts about all the bad things going on to all their followers.
I became really curious about what the bibles says about being an inspiration, so i looked it up and found a couple verses that speak really clearly about how God wants us to inspire others. Here are a few of my favorite ones:
Matthew 5:16
"In the same way, let your light shine before others that they may see your good works and give glory to their your Father who is in heaven"
Titus 2:7
"Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity"
1 Peter 5:3
"not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock"
1 Corinthians 11:1
"Be imitators of me, as i am of Christ"
Hebrews 13:7
"Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith"
Philippians 3:17
"Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us"
You can get your own takeaways from these verses, but i just wanted to share something that stands out to me. A lot of them talk about imitating Christian leaders, who are imitating Christ Himself. Those speak more to taking inspiration from others, but a few of them also talk about being an inspiration, especially the one from Matthew. We should share our faith and just the way we lead a lifestyle that reflects God, so others can see how He impacts our lives and makes us different. Our faith isn't something to keep quiet, because He wants us to spread His word, and if we are living out our faith in our day to day lives, than by sharing parts of our lives we are sharing His message. We shouldn't be sharing things for the purpose of making others jealous and creating some sort of resent in other people. We should share in order for others to see God in us and so they can glorify Him and seek their own relationship with Him.
Speaking of inspiration, i wanted to share one of the Christian role models that i follow, she has a blog that has honestly really inspired me in a lot of different situations.
https://runnin4hisglory.wixsite.com/mysite
https://www.instagram.com/kathryn_foreman/
Thanks for reading!!
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