Selfies

If there's a new word I hate in the English language, it's selfies.  It's right up there with panties, moist, and ain't for cringe worthy, eye rolling, head shaking terrible parts of the english language. 

However, in the age of the interwebs, instagram, facebook, and twitter females(and males) of all ages, myself included, have taken to posting loads of what I like to call, self portraits.  :)

Self portraiture is an art form as old as Rembrandt.  In fact, he painted nearly 100 self portraits in his lifetime.  That's some commitment.  It wasn't a minute on a self phone in those days, a portrait took hours of work.  

We all want recognition.  Rembrandt wanted it.  Teenage girls want it.  We want to be seen. 

This week in particular I've been thinking a lot about worth and wisdom and attention seeking.  Heart motivations for this Crystal George.  I had a blond moment, that turned into a facebook post, that turned into a doctored photo of me from a friend.  That picture received 133 likes and tons of comments.  I only say that, to say this...

I'm as girlie as the next girl.  Who doesn't like to be told she's pretty?  But I was thinking again, tonight especially, what do I want to be seen for?  My worth is not in a pretty picture, or an amount of attention.  I want to be a truth teller.  A lover of people and God.  Someone who does the hard stuff when it hurts.  Someone who laughs deeply and often. 

How do you fit those things into an image on a screen?

And I want to say it on these social media sites to all my friends that are out there fighting the same fights with insecurity and the need to be seen:

For all the days where my hair is right, and my outfit is tight, and the camera likes me a little, there are also the days where my hair is a disaster.  I wear sweats because nothing fits.  My face is breaking out at the ripe age of 35.   And I haven't shaved my legs in a week.  ;)

No one's life is really a pinterest board. 

I want to be seen.  For real.  The beautiful and the not so beautiful.  I want to tell the truth about who I am really, and Who makes me beautiful, really.   So that if you are looking into this window that is my heart, the light of Christ shines back at you. 

I took this picture a few years ago, on a day that I was not wearing any makeup, my hair was just up, and I was wearing sweats.  In fact, this picture was taken during a week when that was pretty much my MO every day. 

There is no photoshopped picture that is as beautiful as an honest heart.  This picture reminds me of that truth, and I want to share it with you. 

Real = beautiful.