When I see how people long so much for love and acceptance that they spend their lives keeping up an appearance of "perfection" in front of others, I am struck with sadness.
For many people, sites like Facebook and Instagram provide ways to seek the approval of "friends" who are really hardly more than strangers. Though social media doesn't appeal to me, who can't relate to wanting acceptance and appreciation? Longing to be loved is an essential aspect of our nature. We all long for the love of God and fellowship with others, but this becomes tangled with the pride of our fallen nature.
Many of us spend our lives trying to obtain worth through outward beauty and accomplishments, indications of success as defined by this world. We seek "success" through the favorable opinions of fellow broken creatures who are often fickle and petty. The few who manage to obtain the appreciation of mankind -- celebrities, for example -- are they happy?
What if a truly successful life looks a bit different from obtaining what our culture has taught us to value?