Jesus and Pinterest

I’ve let my 12 year old, Abbey, take over my Pinterest account.  This is mainly because I was only ever on Pinterest when we were building our house and I needed to look through ideas for tile, lighting, marble, and paint colors.  One of Abbey’s friends showed her how you could look up cool hairstyles and drawing ideas on Pinterest and so Abbey started accessing my account more and more.  I really didn’t care, because I’m not ever on Pinterest anymore. 

However, now, if you look at what “Elisabeth Cutrer” has pinned, it’s things like teenager jokes, friendship quotes, favorite sports shots, pictures of Converse shoes dangling off a bridge, multiple colors of Nikes, and minions with inspirational quotes across them.

I wonder if people think that these are the things that represent me.  Is Abbey accurately reflecting my character as she operates under my name?

Well, no. 

Now, she knows me well enough to know what things truly represent me.  If I actually cared about pinning things on Pinterest, she’d probably say that I’d like photography, home décor, and organization ideas.  (And she’d be correct.)

If asked, she could tell people this because she knows me well. 

However, to the people who don’t know me, they might think the pins she’s pinned represent me.  They might think that I’m a hyper daydreamer who’s only goal is to stop yours (in soccer), and that I heart my bae and enjoy singing in the car, texting, picking out my favorite candy, and drawing with sharpies.

I realized that there are two ways to look at this scenario:

1.  If we are Christians, we are often operating under Christ’s name.  This doesn’t mean that we have to only pin Bible verses on Pinterest, but if we are being conformed to His likeness, then our actions and values will reflect that.  Further more, if we know Him well, we will know what He likes and what He dislikes.  So, if we are asked what He is all about, we can accurately tell people because we know Him well.

2.  Often, non-Christians look at lives of people who call themselves Christ-followers, but exemplify completely inaccurate things about Jesus.  The world has seen the “Pinterest board” of a judgmental, condemning, homophobic, self-righteous, Bible-beater “Christian” and assume that Jesus must be that way too.  But what they don’t realize is that, in the same way Abbey hijacked my Pinterest account, there are people who have hijacked the name of Jesus.  The best solution for this is to find someone who actually knows Jesus well.  They should be able to tell you what He is actually like.  OR, better yet, look at Jesus’ official Pinterest board—it’s called the Bible.  In it, you’ll be able to see what Jesus values, who he hangs out with, and what sports He likes (fishing, duh).

But seriously, Believers, if you know Jesus well, then ask Him to help you represent Him accurately in your words and actions.  THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU HAVE TO BE PERFECT IN ALL THAT YOU DO.  It means that you have to own your mistakes, apologize, be real, forgive, serve and love people.  Ask Him to help you as you try to avoid doing the things that would misrepresent Him (like judging, lying, bragging, gossiping, and condemning).  When we yield to His Holy Spirit in us, then we will naturally “pin” the things He delights in.  In fact, we will delight in them too.

And, friends who don’t believe, I ask you to take a good look at the “Pinterest” board of the people you’ve always assumed represent Christ.  There is a good chance that Jesus isn’t actually behind those accounts.  Take the time to find out what Jesus is really like before you make your decision.  Let me know if you have any questions—because Jesus is my true “bae.”  (Ugh, did I really just say that?  Obviously, I’ve been spending too much time looking through Abbey’s “Teenager Posts” board. Please forgive me.)

The truth is that Jesus is a multifaceted, awesome, yet knowable Person who has picked me up time and time again.  He’s wiped my tears, heard my complaints, and lifted my spirits when I’m down.  He didn’t just save my soul, He walks with me through my days—laughing with me, resting with me, strengthening me, reminding me of things, and I’m pretty sure rolling His eyes when I complain about first-world-problems like not-ripe avocados or Netflix errors.  

All of this may sound like an imaginary friend to some, but I pray that if you think that, you’ll dig a little deeper—ask the hard questions.  The God of the Bible can handle questions.  His perfect love for you surpasses definition—but it can be felt.