Facebook Envy

More and more I hear the term, "Facebook Envy."  It's basically a specific reference to that not so good self-doubting feeling of catching the happy-ever-after glimpse into other people's lives.  Even if you are not a Facebook junkie, I'm sure you've experienced the sting by witnessing the side of people that they want you to see.  Perhaps you've encountered it when you see that totally put-together family sitting a few pews ahead of you, or those madly in-love parents having a quality conversation with their laughing  children two tables over at the restaurant.  Today, I am reminding myself that there is another side!

Yes, there will be families that seem to have it together better than I do. And yes, there will be mothers exercising the patience of Job when the same situation may have put me over the edge of insanity. BUT we are all human.  We all have our struggles.  Sometimes those struggles are just more hidden, behind doors and not posted on Facebook for me to see.

It's funny! When I had my older four, and Little Man was out of the tantrum stage, I felt like the mommy expert. I could trust my kiddos to go play in the other room and know they'd behave.  I could run with all four through the grocery store in record time, and come out with my list complete and a smile still on my face.

Then I had Baby Girl. 

She brings us laughter and cuddles and loads of joy, BUT she also brings me back off my pedestal.  She reminds me what a frazzled mama looks like.  She reminds me how I am not in control and how each stage of parenthood brings its own challenges.  She also reminds me that these sleepless nights and tears over who-knows-what will all too quickly pass (although on some things I wish faster than others).  I'll survive this stage, even if it may not always be pretty and "Facebook worthy."

God does not call us to be as perfect as the people beside us.  He doesn't tell us to compare ourselves to each other, but to His Son. He knows that we are all flawed in our own unique ways.  He knows that He is the only true one to which we should compare and measure. He gives us each other so that we can learn from and encourage each other, not compare and beat ourselves up over.

Next time I see those happy-go-lucky pictures of someone who seems to have it all together and doing a better job at it than I am, I will try to remember that we are all in this together, having our own moments of joy and struggle, and only with Him can we get it right.  So pat a  friend on the back, give her a compliment, share a "When I was in your stage..." story, and together let's point each other closer to our Goal.