Pinterest Fail #RealLifeIsBetter

Oh Pinterest, it’s such a valuable, enriching, worthwhile use of time, and a great resource. It’s a resource, but we have made it so much more. Pinterest has become the framework from which our style is shaped, our weddings are planned, our children are raised, our dinners are cooked, our marriages are nurtured, our crafts are created, and our homes are designed. A few of those things are really really great. However, when it comes to the most valuable parts of life sometimes we find ourselves using Pinterest as a crutch instead of as an added resource and unnecessary benefit. Don’t let Pinterest be your marriage counselor, don’t let pinterest be the wise friend you need, don’t let pinterest be your daily dose of scripture. Dig deep and do the hard work in your marriage and bring in biblical counselors if needed, don’t rely on a blogger’s top ten date nights or cute little quotes. Seek true friends who will pursue the Lord and give you advice based on the overflow of wisdom they receive from scripture. Read the bible; read it for yourself in the full context of the passage and read it with the aid of a dictionary and study bible or commentary. Don’t be afraid of going deep and studying and learning when you spend time with God.

Don’t cheat yourself.

Pinterest in addition to real life and real relationships is such a great thing. We cannot get this the other way around. I know this sounds so dramatic and so serious…I mean, it’s Pinterest. But how often do you hear the phrase “I saw on Pinterest” or “I was reading on Pinterest” or “I got it off Pinterest.” Now let’s pause, (as we usually do here on the ole blog when I’m getting ahead of myself and onto a passionate rant) I think that Pinterest really is great. I get giddy on the few occasions that my posts have been “pinned,” and I too have found some really wonderful and smart bloggers via Pinny (yep that’s a nickname folks). But we’ve all experienced Pinterest fails. For me, it was the crinkle cut fries on the grill (by the way, if you love me you’ll leave a comment about your Pinterest fails! Misery loves company and all that.). Well, ladies—Pinterest is failing you yet again. Pinterest is teaching us really bad theology. Like REALLY bad. I typically steer away from putting my sights on specific targets for the blog, but this one is an exception. Based one how many women pin this particular pin…I can’t not say this. And this is a popular pin…so I might just offend your socks off. But here we go…

These pins are misleading, Pinterest is teaching us to choose a stand alone verse and make it what we want it to be. For example: this verse is not a girly girl special lady verse about being a woman. I know it seems that way. But the “she” in this verse is the people of God and the Church through Christ! And doesn’t that make so much more sense? Go read the entire chapter of Psalm 46. See? And isn’t that an awesome picture of God’s gracious presence to His people? If you are a believer, then take joy in your inclusion! But let’s be careful to not cross the line and make verse into something different than what it really is.

If you want a sweet reminder of God's promises and love for you, read God's word. You don't have to depend on a few random verses that someone else read and then posted. You can experience the abundance of God's grace and faithfulness for yourself and in its entirety and correct context. It's not like finding a needle in a hay stack. God's goodness toward you IS the haystack. It's hard NOT to find personal and precious and deliberate scripture. So stop cheating yourself. Stop letting Pinterest form your theology. Read God's word consistently and fully, read verses in the context of the passage they were written in. You will not regret handling the Word of God with purpose and intentionality.

*I used the ESV Study Bible along the website biblehub.cc for study guidance while working on this post.