The Comparison Trap: Reclaiming Your Identity in a Filtered World

Summary

In this episode, Dr. Christina Wilson explores how social media impacts our spiritual identity, the importance of biblical truths, and practical steps to reclaim your identity in Christ amidst worldly expectations.

 Keywords

spiritual identity, social media, biblical truths, Christian women, faith, comparison, digital fast, community, divine reset retreat

Key  Topics

Impact of social media on spiritual identity

Spiritual warfare and biblical truths

Practical steps to reclaim identity in Christ

The Digital Fast and Fill Challenge

The importance of community in faith

The significance of the cross in identity

Evaluating your standing in God's kingdom

Upcoming Divine Reset Retreat in Indiana

Resources

Ephesians 2 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+2&version=NIV

Galatians 1:10 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+1%3A10&version=NIV

Positive Growth Doctor YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@PositiveGrowthDoctor

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Welcome to the Positive Girl Doctor Podcast for Women. I am your host, Dr. Christina Wilson. I created Positive Growth Doctor after years of dealing with societal expectations, self-doubt, and perfectionism. I leverage my 30 years of experience as a positive psychologist to address limiting beliefs and gain clarity through faith-based emotional wellness techniques rooted in mindset renewal and biblical truth. Subscribe to the podcast and check out the earlier episodes so you don't miss a thing. Let's get to it. Welcome to the Positive Girl Doctor Podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Christina Wilson. Now last week we started a series called Taking Root: Trading the Striving for God's Sovereign Rest. And this series is for the woman who feels well, she's just tired of feeling like her faith is a performance review. And it's a rescue mission for her mind, spirit, and schedule. Have you ever felt that heaviness? You know, you weren't quite sure what it was but or where it was coming from. And it might manifest itself as a surge of anxiety or a lingering sense of doom and uneasiness. Now, it could be hard to pinpoint because you're just simply going through your routine and your everyday task. Now, our daily task has shifted significantly in the last 10 to 20 years. And think of a time when there were no smartphones, computers, or even the internet, right? Remember what that was like? Sure, having that information at your fingertips is super convenient. But at what cost? So this week we are logging out of the world's expectations and locking into our true identity. So social media scrolling leaves you feeling spiritually weak or like your faith isn't producing the perfect life that everyone else seems to have. This episode is for you. And we discuss the spiritual mechanics of comparison and how to firmly root your identity in who God says you are, completely independent of your circumstances. So you can find the full transcript for this episode on your favorite podcast app or the Positive Growth Doctor YouTube channel and hit subscribe. So if this series blesses you, and I pray that it does, please join other women in helping them grow on their journeys by sharing this podcast. And also leaving a quick review on the Apple Podcast because that furthers your reach even more, which is a huge blessing to so many. But when you dig down deep, you know, while societal changes are inevitable, the curated trap of social media can make you feel behind in life when you're not. Oh, he loves it. So you can start questioning God's specific timeline for you and the goodness for your life. So what does Ephesians 2 have to say about your work? That's a really good place to go. You know, the enemy uses spiritual warfare throughout our lifetime and he is relentless. But you can fight these battles with biblical truths. That is really important to remember. And in Ephesians 2.10, we're reminded that we're God's handiwork created in Christ Jesus to do good works. And also in Galatians um 1.10, we ask, Am I trying to win the approval of human beings or of God? Ouch. Yeah. Um that that one, you know, it's right there. And you know, he's reminding us because what a loving father we have, that he prepared us for this world with his word. And he knew that there were going to be challenges. And he was ahead of the game because he loves us so much. You know, what we need is right there, and sometimes we miss it because we're human beings, right? So let's talk about four things that you could do to reclaim your identity in Christ from the worldly expectations. Now, the first thing, we're just kind of talking about that, and that's creating a long-lasting habit for change. It's right there, probably within reach. You're spending time daily and consistently in his word. That is a perfect place to start, right? The weekly challenge that I have set for this week is called the digital fast and fill challenge. So, how many of you wake up in the morning and you grab your phone, right? Um, the challenge is to fast from social media scrolling for the first two hours of the day. Okay. Replace that time with reading the word or journaling about things that you're grateful for in this actual life. So grabbing that phone first thing is a really nasty habit. And you might have to, you know, make sure nothing happened overnight, you know, check your messages if you have family members that you're caring for or, you know, things like that. And that totally different thing. But then you don't stay on it. And when we think about it, what there was a time when we didn't have the smartphone. So, or you know, the internet and all of the things to distract us. So we've done it before and we can do it again. We will. All right, now the second thing is to remember the cross because your identity was settled at the cross. Okay, it cannot be altered by any social media algorithm. The third is to evaluate your actual standing. Being behind in the world's eyes, okay, being behind in the world's eyes often means you are exactly on time in God's kingdom. That's the one you might want to put on your bathroom mirror or your notebook or your desk, because that's a really, really good one to remember. And I have to remind myself all the time of this. And the fourth is don't try to do it alone because you don't have to. Even though you might feel isolated or um haven't really, you know, maybe more introverted and haven't really put yourself out there to um surround yourself with people that can help you. That, you know, God created us in such a way that he had community in mind. And in 1 Thessalonians 5.11, it says that we are to encourage one another and build each other up just as in fact you are doing. Okay. And from Paul, you know, he emphasized the role of support and encouragement in the community. And, you know, that's what God wants for us. It's a great opportunity to build lasting relationships and strengthen our faith. And you might say, I've been hurt by people, you know, yeah, I know. And we all have. It's it's a horrible feeling. Horrible. And it may have cut you so deeply that you're scared, you know, to go out. But know this that God is going to put people around you that do love you. And yeah, there's gonna be stinkers here or there because we are human beings, but that God loves you so much. And, you know, He's He's gonna help you with that. Now, He has put it on my heart because this, um, actually in this verse, this has been on my mind for quite a while. And tugging at me, tugging at my heart is just kind of settling in there and in my gut too, because I know when God is poking me and saying, Hey, pay attention. This is what I want for you to do. Um, and when he does that, I'm I go, you know, he just nudges me and it's go time. And I've learned that, you know, life just is so much easier that way whenever I choose to do what he has asked, and that there's a reason. And it I love it's so beautiful to see what he has in store. Um, and he uses every single one of us for a lot of opportunities. So pay attention to that nuts, okay? So I created an opportunity to do just exactly what we're talking about. So mark your calendars for October 23rd through the 25th for the Divine Reset Retreats in Noblesville, Indiana. Okay. October 23rd through 25th in Noblesville, Indiana. It's the Divine Reset Retreat. Now, this is designed to give Christian women an opportunity to develop those meaningful communities that they need and that God created us for. So it's a weekend for Christian women to gather and grow, grow in their faith. So you can find more about this on my social media channels for the Positive Growth Doctor. And I hope that this episode has encouraged you and challenged you in good ways. Let's meet up again next week for the second half of this series. I will see you there. Thanks for listening to the Positive Girl Doctor Podcast. Be sure to leave a review and tell other women about the podcast. Let's support each other. Find the full transcript for this episode on your favorite podcast app and learn more at the Positive Growth Doctor.com. And be assured, you are not alone on your journey.