ON OUR SHOUT-OUT SOCIETY.

image via Unsplash.

We live in a world that wants and longs for attention. We check our phones for likes. We long for more followers. And we love it when people give us personal shout-outs, too.

Now don't get me wrong, I definitely fall victim to this desire, too. Just this past week, I found myself hoping a friend would shout-out a few photos that I took of her kids with her Facebook friends--thinking that I would get some praise in return for the work. But when it didn't happen, I found my heart getting cold and ugly.

The more I think, the more I realize that many of things I do are in hopes of gaining attention, recognition, or a simple thanks from people in return. 

It's funny that I even think this way because I don't really like to be in the spotlight to begin with. As an introvert, that's exactly the opposite of what I want. But I still look for and love it when I get positive human responses (it's the people-pleaser in me). And sometimes, I look for and love it more than I live for and give my works for God's glory.

It's funny that I've been looking for immediate gratification with my works, especially as a preschool teacher where self-regulation is all the rage. How I long for praise, when I know that encouragement and support will last longer and make more of a difference in my life.

So here I am, realizing that I'm just as much of a preschooler as I am an adult. Where I struggle with waiting for the eternal reward and living to glorify Him, not myself.

And now is when I turn the tables. Am I the only one who struggles with this? And how do you combat the desire to receive human praise in an instant gratification world?

For me, it's all about being more intentional. To really think about my intentions and motives. And to really slow down a bit, too. Because when I live in an immediate gratification and shout-out society, sometimes just letting go of it and going against the flow of that world is what will get me out of it.