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Selfie = to snap random pictures of one’s self, and upload it to the internet for others to comment, enjoy, judge, pay money to see, etc.

Perhaps you have been tempted, or actively participate in this thriving exercise in public exposure.

At the heart of it is a desire to be known and to be validated by others. Even if a pic is ridiculed, it ends up being a weird sense of validation that a person exists.

I recognize everyone wants to be noticed and validated somehow. While apart from online predators, a few candid snapshots are not necessarily dangerous, I do think the underlying attitude it takes to get a good selfie, is a toxic one. Think about it – to take a good selfie, you have to be aware of...? YOU of course! This level of personal awareness, and the hunger to be known can drive us to very unsafe places. It leads us to upload ourselves into every situation, hoping we will be noticed. Which means truly helpful, truly selfless motives become second, third, or never even enter our minds. Consider what Paul wrote in Romans 12:1-5, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 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—his good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”

So in these couple verses he addresses the heart of the issue:

- our bodies are meant to serve God and for us to find our validation from Him.
- our minds are to be renewed in God’s word, which transforms us (and our bodies) from the inside out
- our thoughts should not be about validating ourselves, but rather seeing ourselves through God’s eyes
- our actions should always reflect that we are connected to and belong to one another

There is a lot to unpack there, and I welcome you to do some digging in. But let me sum it up with one thought. As followers of Christ – we should be those who validate others with the love and grace we have received from God. Let’s face it, when I am loved, accepted, and appreciated in my community of people, I am validated. My drive to gain the approval of others drops considerably.

So, here is a challenge...let’s unravel and make the “selfie” market collapse.

Let’s make 2014’s word of the year – “self-less.”