July 15, 2024
Melissa Valerio
What is the deal with people making YouTube videos about nothing? I get the tutorials and instructional videos, but what about the people making videos of their everyday lives? Going to the dentist, or shopping for dinner, or cleaning out the cat litter. Or the videos of people playing video games. Or eating really loudly. I just don’t get it. They encourage their viewers to “like” and “subscribe” to their channels, all for the attention and recognition so they can get paid to do everyday life. It just baffles me that someone could get paid to live.
In this world, love or favor seems to come with attention and popularity. The more “followers” you have, the more money you get. The more money you get the more important you are. The more important you are, the more you are admired by the world. In a sense, you can create your own worth by generating your own value on social media. Appealing to the world for attention and gaining so many followers that you have set your own value. But it is a dangerous thing to set your own value in your own eyes. This makes me think of a story in the bible. In Luke 14:7-11, Jesus told a parable of a haughty dinner guest who thought so highly of himself that he sat in the most distinguished seat when he arrived. Yet the host told him to move to a lower place at the table because a more important guest was attending who deserved that higher seat. So, humiliated, he moved to the lower seat in front of everyone. Too bad that dinner guest did not live by Romans 12:3 “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.” (NIV) Nothing like a good case of humiliation in front of others to put you in your place.
I am not saying YouTube videos are bad. But surely, we don’t need to use them as a self-gratifying tool. We do not need to base our worth on the number of followers we have, right? We can use them for good. Like to encourage others. Or instruct others. Or provide valuable insight into topics that would help someone’s life struggles.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You determined our worth by the blood You were willing to spill on our behalf. Your blood. Help us understand that. Help us believe that. Help us be thankful for that. Please keep our hearts humble and continually remind us that we are nothing without You. In Your mighty name, Amen.
Action: Read 1 John 4:7-14. God is love. Remind yourself that God thought of YOU when He went to the cross. Your value is in Him. Always.
Image by starline on Freepik
Melissa,
Thank you for sharing this message. I tried to remember this when I post on social media, and when I view others posts to try hard not to feel envy or jealousy.