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When we are younger, we are taught that we are supposed to have dreams and goals and to work hard towards achieving said dreams and goals. It is amazing to have role models, people we can aspire to be like, oftentimes someone who can show us that the life we want for ourselves can be achieved.
Since social media has become an integral part of our lives, role models have become more accessible than ever before. We spend countless hours scrolling through feeds, consuming content from the people we admire and aspire to be like.
With so much information accessible to us, you would think we would gain more wisdom and success. However, we live in a highly dysfunctional, medicated, and empty society.
First and foremost, the influencer lifestyle is a well-curated life that often appears perfect. They only showcase an idealized version of themselves and their lives. However, behind the filtered images and curated captions, lies a challenge to live a more authentic life in a world filled with counterfeit success.
Secondly, assuming everything they post is real life and that this is truly how they lead their lives daily, how much of that brings true fulfillment?
I have everything I need and a lot of what I want. A beautiful home, beautiful healthy children, my dream car, and the love of my life, although I am fulfilled and content with my life, it is none of these external things brought me fulfillment. It seems like there is always something more to want, something else to chase, another thing to achieve. We seem to have it all but are never content, never fulfilled, and never complete.
When I was younger, I was told that I needed to pray to get the things that I wanted. I prayed to be blessed in every way possible. In my own limited thinking, I thought, well, to have financial success and fulfillment, you just needed to pray and work hard – all of which is true.
But to be honest, you don't need to pray to be successful. Some people don't even have to work hard for it.
God wants us to have these things. He created the world so we can enjoy it and everything in it. He didn't create it for us to beg him for good things and a good life. It has been given to us freely, we just need to gain wisdom and understanding on how we can take possession of it. That is not an easy task, but it is a task that both people who pray and those who don't have to figure out.
Contrary to popular belief, Satan doesn’t want to stop you from being prosperous, having the relationship you want, or having everything you ever wanted. He doesn't care if you have these things because he knows that he can't stop God from blessing you, as those things are already yours.
After Jesus had fasted forty days and forty nights, the Spirit led him to the wilderness to be tested. One of the things Satan offered him was fame and fortune.
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
The enemy offered the Son of God something that already belonged to him. Fame and riches, he didn't care if Jesus had that. But he was betting on the idea that maybe Jesus didn't know these things were already his, or that Jesus knew but didn't have the patience for the right time to have these things.
The enemy is not here to stop you from having a picture-perfect life, but he wants you to have all that outside of God. Outside of God's will, because everything we have outside of God will never bring us fulfillment, joy, and peace.
It is only when we put God at the center and understand that these things are already ours and only in Him can we fully enjoy them.
The glitz and glam of what we see when we scroll through the internet is not the entire truth. You can be happy and fulfilled with much less, or you can have all the things and still feel empty inside.
Desiring these things, and dreaming of a glamorous life, is not wrong, but a true glamorous life is one full of joy and peace. God will never let you go without if He is the Lord of your life.
This doesn't mean God will provide an Instagrammable lifestyle for everyone; that is entirely up to you and how you empower yourself and chase your dreams.
What He cares about is your heart and soul. He wants you to find inner joy and true fulfillment. This is where true contentment lies, and honestly, when you are content with God and what you have, you can have gratitude and pursue your bigger goals patiently, not driven by the pressure that social media puts on you. Be content and happy, and trust in God's timing.