It’s Time to Remove the Filters

By Amber Swinehamer

Many times, on social media, we don’t just filter our pictures; we filter our entire lives that we share with the world. By doing this, we inadvertently reinforce the message that we have to have our lives in order and perfect for us to have a relationship with God. We tend only to post the “highlight reel.” Not only does the highlight reel not accurately reflect our real lives, but it can also take away from the glory that God deserves or even make us pass up a chance to share what He can do in the lives of others.

When we only post the positive, picture-perfect images and snapshots of our lives, we’re neglecting the valleys—the times when life is hard. The valleys in our lives help us further our testimony without calling it our “testimony.” When we are going through the valleys in our lives, we can reach others who maybe don’t know the gospel story or know what a relationship with Jesus looks like without labeling it as a testimony with flashing lights saying, “Look here! Look here!” I am absolutely unashamed to share my testimony and will proudly exclaim my love for Jesus to anyone who will listen. Still, I know all too well that there are people who will shut down if they believe they’re being preached to (I know because I used to be one of them).

One of my recent goals is to be more transparent with people in my life—whether that is about my anxiety, my parenting, or my household. Since we’ve been extended grace from God, we can also learn to extend grace to ourselves. If all we see from those around us are perfection, clean houses, perfectly behaved children, filtered and touched-up photographs, we can feel like we’re behind. We feel like we’re less than. We feel like we may be the only one who doesn’t have our life together. And that’s just not the truth.

We’re all struggling. Some days a victory looks like both of my children being healthy, fed, and in bed before midnight. We have to be honest with one another because when we hide behind filters—whether that’s our photographs or selective social media postings or a facade that we hide behind—we’re selling ourselves short about how we can get through struggles or bad days. We’re also unintentionally alienating those around us who may be going through the same things.

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” As Christians, we need to walk the walk and talk the talk at all times, not just when things are unicorns and rainbows for us. Sharing both the peaks and the valleys with those around us helps paint a better picture about the grace extended to us and that Christ is with us always—in the ups and the downs.

I’m trying to be more deliberate about what I post on social media and what I share with the people I know. It’s a balance that I’m working on every day. I’m challenging myself to be more transparent every day, little by little, and learning to eliminate the filters (who has eyelashes that look like that in real life anyway?).

Amber Swinehamer is a stay-at-home mom and resides in Bluffton, South Carolina, with her husband David and two sons. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, live music, Atlanta Braves baseball, and all things Washington, D.C.