Don’t Judge a Person By Their Facebook Page

In the age of social media, it is very important to remember not to judge someone based solely on their facebook page. Do not think you know them well from only reading their status updates or viewing their photos. Even among the most honest and open of facebookers, what they post is only a tiny glimpse of their lives, not the whole picture. Not even close. Being the proud momma of five, there are often times that I will post about some accomplishment or triumph in my children's lives. I will post photos of smiles and fun family times. I will post happy moments. I will post cute things they said or creative things they did. What I don’t post is the bickering and sibling conflict, the bad attitudes and temper tantrums, the teen rebellion, the disrespect, or my failures as a mother. Being a Christian woman, I might post a scripture verse that speaks to me, a lesson I have learned, or a reminder of how to live a Godly lifestyle. What I don’t post is the dust collecting on my unopened Bible, my failure to pray, my personal sins and struggles, the times when I lose my cool and scream at my husband and children, or my lack of housekeeping skills (well, maybe I do post about that). This could apply to so many other areas of life as well. At church for example, do not think you know someone well if you only see a glimpse of who they are at church Sunday morning. Just because they appear to be a happy, cheerful person each Sunday at church. You might not know the big argument that took place in the car on the way there or how they lost their cool trying to get everyone out the door (both personal experiences). They might, and likely do, have struggles that you know nothing about. Depression, sin, anger, codependency, unhealthy thought patterns, or any number of struggles. If I used my friends’ facebook pages to know who they are I would think that one friend thinks of nothing but sex and alcohol. Yet, she is actually a loving mother of three and a fun person. I would think that another friend is a lazy bum who sits on his butt all day and listens to music. But he is actually a hard working young man who simply enjoys sharing some good tunes. My point is, until you spend real time getting to know someone, don’t make assumptions about them or their life. Don’t compare. Don’t judge. Don’t label. We personally have had people call us “really spiritual”. If they only knew! My prayer life is lacking to say the least. I am far from a prayer warrior. I don’t even remember to pray before meals or pray with my children very often. I am more quick to seek prayer from others than I am to pray for others. I have had people tell me that they wish their children were more like mine. Oh goodness, you have no idea what you are asking! For the most part, my children are good. They make some good choices. They try to follow God. But they certainly have their issues. Sure they aren’t drinking, smoking, and chasing the opposite sex. But they are often rude, disrespectful, lazy, and all of them have anger issues. Not to mention the fact that three of them have an Autism spectrum disorder. Anyone familiar with Autism knows of some of the challenges that we face day to day. We are an imperfect family. We are imperfect parents. We have imperfect children. Like everyone else, we have our struggles. We just don’t post them on facebook. At least not very often. I am a very open person. But I try to respect my children and husband by keeping our troubles out of the social media circles. Remember, everyone has their own calling and their own purpose. Some callings are just more visible than others. Everyone has struggles. Some are just more visible than others. Take the time to really get to know someone. Facebook is just a glimpse.