I enjoy writing...sometimes without music.

Did you ever stop and think where you, genuinely, find your identity? What is that thing (or group of things) that you do every day…all day long, to make yourself feel valuable?

My first response would most likely be, “Uhh…I don’t know?” Then I’d answer with some vague and generic answer about something I’m good at to get you off my back. I hate those weighted questions (that you never asked for in the first place) where people corner you to think about bigger life issues.

But seriously.

The only reason I bring it up is because I’ve been confronted with this question over the past few days of my life and have been pretty surprised, and honestly disappointed with my real answers. Last week I went almost an entire day without receiving a single text or Facebook notification. Sounds pretty traumatic, doesn’t it? But it actually did bother me a little. I started to feel just a bit less significant than I was the day before…and that little lie sparked my attention. Sure enough, the next day my friends were still my friends, my family still loved me, and the world kept spinning. I stepped back and realized how much we depend on social media and insignificant communication to define our identity.

It’s amazing, with technology, how our entire lifestyles have changed and evolved. If you’re between the ages of 4 and 87, you probably spend a lot of your time on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, or Words with Friends (now Scramble with Friends). We have our iPhones attached to our hands, anxiously waiting for that tri-tone to bring some form of love or stimulation. I think most people can agree that we’d actually rather text someone that hold a real (spoken) conversation! I remember the days when cell phones had antennas and the only form of digital communication we actually used was AIM. (cue nostalgic feelings)

Don’t get me wrong, I think technology is a wonderful thing and has many ways of improving our lives, efficiency, and communication. However, I think it’s also playing a big role in negatively changing the value we place on ourselves. You design your Facebook around a desired identity and gauge your value by the amount of friends, comments, and “likes”. You post a tweet and gauge your value on whether or not anyone re-tweets, responds, or follows you. You gauge your self-worth on if he or she texts you back, how quickly, and how they do it. The list could go on and you know what I’m talking about. You do it, whether it’s subconscious or not. Deep down it bums you out just a little when you don’t get the responses you were looking for. And like any stimuli, our bodies are designed to need more input to feel the same response…downward spiral we go.

It sounds all nice for me to write a little blog about technology and social media and it’s adversely negative effects on our perceived identity…then you can say, “Ah, yeah he’s right…that sure is something.” Then you click the next Google Chrome tab over, (which is Facebook) to stalk the gossip feed and see if you have any notifications. But that’s not where I want this to end. Let’s uncover some truth about what brings our value and how we can fight back against this social media/stimulus trap.

Romans 12:6 says “In His grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you.”

“Neither height nor depth, or anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” -Romans 8:39 

Basically, we are all loved and nothing can change that, whether you believe it or not. We were each given a priceless value and a unique set of gifts. We each have a passion put into our heart…not only do we need to find it, but we need to USE it with all that we are.

We are all loved. We are all made equal. There is no need to feel insecure or compete with others for your value or identity. I don’t care how many Facebook friends or followers you have. You are a beautiful, one-of-a-kind creation that has value outside of the digital world.

Take ONE DAY this week…(I’m going to join you) stay off Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, or whatever your digital addiction may be. Only use your phone for emergencies. I promise, this won’t kill you. You don’t need any of them to find your value. I understand one blog post won’t magically open your eyes to confidence and security in your true identity, but let’s spend some time uncovering the insecurities and combating them with truth…one at a time. Then we can spend more time using our gifts with all the passion in our hearts…and using them to share love with others.

Let me know if you have any cool revelations or experiences with this challenge.

Brooke