Seeking God's Approval First

Most of you know me pretty well and know I am a sucker for some good social media. I really do enjoy it (when it’s not politics and hate). I stick with 4 topics-dogs, dirt bikes, airplanes and family. But its got me thinking about who we are and what what we are doing with it.You see, with the advent of social media, the need for relationship, validation, and approval from others has never been so visually apparent. Unfortunately, many people make the mistake of calculating their value and worth as a human being on their online reputation like how many friends, followers, likes, retweets, and comments they can collect. The sense of self-fulfillment they seek never arrives, so they chase higher and higher numbers. I’ve read far too many news pieces of people falling to their deaths just to get the perfect Instagram shot to post online. People are dying to be seen. I’m super guilty of some of this with my moto and flying. The cooler the shot, the more likes...so what, I’m guilty! But social media is a powerful tool. Like the name suggests, it’s a social activity and we are social beings. We want others to know us and approve of us. I recently heard about a 104-year-old woman who was asked the best thing about being her age. She replied, “No peer pressure!” We’re created in God’s image and He is relational, so we too are relational to the core. We were created to need both Him and each other to be happy and thrive. Doubt and insecurity occur when we get the order backwards. Our first priority should be to know God and be known by God. If we look to Him first, our relationships with others have ample space to grow because we don’t need our peers’ validation. To have lasting peace, confidence, and joy, we need to look to God alone. No amount of worldly success or social media popularity can come close to the indescribable gift of knowing God and being known by Him. “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”Matthew 6:33 ESVBe Nice, Grace Wins