My Response to the Facebook 10 Year Challenge

I can’t quite put my finger on why the Facebook 10 year challenge has been rubbing me the wrong way, but I think what it comes down to is this; I gave up vanity when I chose to walk out the call of Christ.You see, Shauna 10 years ago was consumed with self. She was far away from Christ, but outwardly she looked good to the world.Since I decided to walk in the way God has called me to, my vanity has been laid down. As a result, outwardly the years have taken a significant toll.

I have indeed AGED!

I have one thousand percent more wrinkles. My eyes don’t perk up in the corners as they did. I have an auto-immune induced eye disorder that has taken a toll on my left eye, and my lack of sleep doesn’t help it. I don’t have time to put makeup on most days. Heck even when I wear it, it just didn’t sit like it used to. It now emphasizes my ever-growing pores and the lines on my forehead. And my eyelashes? Man, they have just disappeared. I don’t have time for face masks and fancy skin treatments anymore.

But I don’t care; it’s no longer my focus!

The sad thing is this picture isn’t 10 years old; it’s 4. FOUR years old!

That’s all it took to make me look like I gained a century. But friends, I HAVE gained a century as far as inward growth and to expect my outward self not to reflect that wouldn’t be fair. I’ve said yes to a lot of God things that didn’t serve, “self.”

• I became a mother to two children from a foreign country (at once), both with traumatic pasts.
• I’m now a special needs mother.
• I have endured chronic illness.
• I’ve had a baby.
• I’ve been going through the stress of a 3-year adoption.

All while growing exponentially in my walk with Jesus.

The Facebook 10 year challenge comes down to is this for me.

Success, when measured by vanity and physical appearance, falls so short to me in comparison to what really matters in life. What if we came to the realization that vanity is what can hinder us from laying down our lives to walk out what Christ has for us? Maybe vanity is a distraction from a much bigger calling. Perhaps vanity is an idol.For me, vanity was just that. But man, did I feel free the moment my inward growth superseded the crutch of vanity that I had held on to for so many years.

Related Post: Stop Judging Yourself By What You Cannot Control

Friends let’s change. Let’s take risks. Let’s sacrifice self for the sake of the gospel. Let’s lay down our vanity for a cause bigger than ourselves. Let’s celebrate it on public platforms. This is the kind of stuff that can change the world. Let’s show each other that we aren’t measuring our success on how well we can stay the same but let’s risk everything to not stay the same!So yes, I have changed. I have changed from the inside out. Not the outside in and I’m proud to celebrate precisely that!

So, when the Facebook 10 year challenge asks me, “How hard has aging hit you?”

The answer is the Facebook 10 year challenge hit me HARD. But in the best way possible.