Conformity has been echoing in my mind lately - especially in a culture where "the pattern" seems to be:

More scrolling.
More noise.
More hustle.
More 'eyes on me'.
More altering our appearance. 
More options. 

We scroll. We compare. We perform. We chase applause from strangers and call it "connection". We start to believe that if it wasn't posted for people to see, it didn't actually happen. That our value is tied to how we're seen or how often we're seen online. 

We live in a time where fame feels like the highest goal and social media has quietly turned into a measuring stick for our worth. Likes, follows, DMs, aesthetics, performance. The pressure to always be seen. The obsession with making something "viral". The notion that virality = fortune. 

The temptation to build platforms instead of altars.

And quietly, subtly, we slip into the habit of looking everywhere else for our identity. We measure our worth in metrics: likes, views, followers, comments. We seek validation in filtered moments and public affirmations. We trade truth for trends. Depth for reach. Purpose for performance. 

And honestly - it's exhausting.

Somewhere along the way, "sharing our lives" turned into curating personas. We're constantly connected, but increasingly hollow. Addicted to attention & stimulation, quantity over quality connections, but still aching for true meaning & purpose. 

Here's a hard truth I'm learning: 
The world will never stop asking you to prove yourself.
And it will never be satisfied when you try. 

I'm not saying social media is inherently bad. It can connect, uplift, and inspire. But it can also distort, distract, and deceive - especially when we build our identity around what it reflects back to us. 

We weren't created to be "liked".
We were created to be loved. 

Not by the crowd, but by Christ. 
And His love? It doesn't shift with trends, timelines, or algorithms. 

Jesus calls us to something different. 

He doesn't say, "Go viral and change the world."
He says, "Come. Be still. Follow Me."

And sometimes, yes, some are blessed with platforms to share testimonies, glorify the Kingdom of God, and encourage others along the way. And yes, they can be used for good - but it's a slippery slope if we do not take great care of what God has entrusted to us. 

The tricky part is - deep down, we know social media plays tricks on our minds. We're not oblivious to it. 

But it's subtle enough to convince us that what happens online is somehow separate from "real life". 

We rationalize behaviors we'd never condone face-to-face. 
We curate lives that look nothing like the one we actually live - and start to believe they're both equally true. 
We send things to strangers that we don't even say to the people who love us most. 
A lot of times, we go places and do things - not for the true, raw experience of it, but to take a picture & post that we went there or did that. 
Or because we saw someone else's post about doing something that looked cool. 
In fact, these days? A of the time, our goals, hobbies, trips, plans, & dreams are being shaped by what we see online - not because we're genuinely interested in those things, but because they look appealing.. & because we're constantly being spoon-fed the same thing over & over on an endless loop - they're just packaged differently after each "refresh" of the timeline. 

It's a dangerous compartmentalization. 
One that opens the door for justified betrayals - of trust, of commitments, of values. 
One that makes us believe "more" is always out there. 
More attention.
More excitement. 
More affirmation.
More validation. 
And quietly, the enemy whispers that what we already have - what God has already entrusted to us - isn't enough. 

Just like the serpent whispered lies to Eve, he still whispers them to us today - just in different forms - like notifications, follower counts, DMs, virality, fame, fortune; the list can go on. 

But here's the sobering reality:
Who you are online is who you are {or who you are becoming} offline. 
Your digital life is not a separate room - it's part of the same house.
If the foundation starts cracking there, it will spread everywhere else. 

I say this not from a place of condemnation, but from experience.  

Which is why I'm learning to lay down the pressure to be impressive, and picking up the call to be obedient. To let go of the platform and run to the altar - to come back to posture of prayer, of stillness, of sacred anonymity. 

Of being known by God, not by the algorithm. 

Because we weren't created for performance. 
We were created for presence. 

Being "set apart" means not looking like everyone else.

The world says:
-> Be louder.
-> Be busier.
-> Be more impressive. 

Jesus says:
~ Be still.
~ Be faithful.
~ Be known by Me. 

There's nothing wrong with creativity, ambition, or sharing your life. But when we start turning to the world to tell us who we are - we're building our identity on quicksand. 

The deeper invitation is to log off of what's loud and listen to the One who speaks in a still, quiet voice. 

You don't need to be viral to be valuable.
You don't need to be known by many. 
But known by the One. 
The One who leaves the 99 for you no matter how many times you stray or how far off you wander. 

Maybe you needed that reminder today. I know I do quite often. 
You don't have to be "big" to be used by God. 
You don't need a following to be faithful. 
You don't need noise to be seen. 
And you definitely don't need to endlessly scroll to feel like you're not alone. 

You just need to be His. 
Rooted. Known. Loved. 
Already enough. 

So here's my gentle invitation to you, friend -

If you've been feeling heavy, distracted, or quietly burned out by it all - maybe this is your cue to rest. To let go of the pressure to perform. To let go of the need to "keep up" with an endless scroll. To stop trying to be impressive, and start becoming intentional. 

To treat your time and energy likes it's expensive - because it is.
We are all on very limited, borrowed time. And we never know when our side of the hourglass will empty. 

You don't have to keep up.
You don't have to be "on" all the time.
You don't have to chase worth - it's already been spoken over you. 

Jesus said,
"Abide in Me." {John 15:4}
Not perform for Me.
Not hustle for Me. 
Simply abide.

And that changes everything. 

Just a quiet reminder:

If the pressure to keep up is stealing your peace,
If the scroll is louder than your soul,
If you've forgotten who you are underneath the noise,
Or maybe you've lost yourself along the way - 

Then maybe it's time to unplug.
Not to disappear, but to remember.
Not to abandon the world, but to walk through it differently.

You don't have to look like everyone else. 
You were never meant to.
You were meant to be set apart - rooted, steady, and whole. 

And if all you do today is close your eyes, take a deep breath, and whisper 
"Jesus, remind me of who I am." - that's more than enough. 

Let that be the beginning. 
Not the end of your story online,
but the start of a life lived differently - 
set apart, steady, and whole in Him. ❤

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is.”
~ Romans 12:2 NIV